Lunar Eclipse
by Selene Ann Harrell
Summary: Selene thinks that her 18 birthday is just like any other. She is dead wrong. Soon she finds herself battling evil monsters and an evil twin sister with her six friends. AND falling in love with a vampire. Who knew being 18 was this hard?
1. Chapter 1

_**A girl will descend upon the forsaken lands.**_

_**Within her lies a power beyond comparison,**_

_**That she herself, did not know existed**_

_**And so, thus begins the journey.**_

_**A quest with different intentions.**_

_**To find a way home…**_

_**To undo what has been done…**_

_**And above all…**_

_**To remember to believe once more.**_

_**With the goddess watching over her,**_

_**Our story begins….**_

**Lunar Eclipse Chapter 1**

"Dad, stop worrying so much. I am going to be with all my friends. Nothing will happen to me." I countered, dragging a brush through the tangled mess at the back of my head. "Besides if anything does happen I have my cell phone. I'm not a little girl anymore, legally I am an adult."

"Selene, you know as well as I do that you will always be my little girl. And, as far as being an adult, you have been 18 for two hours. That hardly counts as being an adult!"

"Dad! Ok, fine! I will call you when we get to Emily's house, then when we go to the mall, then when we are on our way back to Emily's, then when we actually get there. Happy now, oh great destroyer of freedom? Anything else to make my life more miserable?" Arguing with him was like arguing with a brick wall. I yanked on the brush so hard that the handle snapped completely off in my hand. Starring dumbly at the piece of plastic in my hand, I reached back to touch the piece tangled in my unruly hair. My eyes narrowed as I stormed past my dad, mumbling, "Oh great! One more thing to add to my list!" My dad unsuccessfully tried to stifle a laugh as I headed toward the bathroom with the hairbrush still securely locked in place by my thick mane of hair. The giant rats nest seemed to be altering my mood, leeching away all the niceness and friendship I had and replacing them with frustration.

"That should about do it.," he said with a chuckle, and then his smile vanished, "Oh Selene, I know you think I'm being unfair, but I'm just trying to keep you safe. Are you so grown up now that you don't need your old man?" His blue grey eyes welled with tears at the imagined thought of his daughter leaving him. I knew they were fake. If he wanted to win an argument, he used them. No matter what they always broke my heart. I was so close to my dad, after all, he was my only family. I would give anything to make sure he never got hurt. It also helps that if I put on a few pounds and had laugh lines I could pass for his twin sister

"That is so unfair," I grumbled, "you know I'll never stop needing you, dad. Although I sometimes seriously wonder who needs who more." He was a horrible cook and if left to his own devices could come up with the strangest concoctions that could send even the strongest of stomachs to the E.R. Apparently Fire Fighters had iron stomachs and steel constitutions. As soon as I was old enough I took over the cooking.

"You're probably right." He said with a laugh, allowing me to finally step into the bathroom. So far, my eighteenth birthday was a disaster. First, my dog Sigi was sick on my bed at four in the morning, the coffee maker broke, I spilled hot oatmeal down the front of my favorite robe, discovered that Sigi was sick because she ate my most favorite pair of shoes, and found that my hair was refusing to cooperate with me today. As I picked the teeth of the ruined brush from the knarled roots of my hair, I drifted into my most familiar daydream:

_I am sitting on the couch watching TV._

_The doorbell rings and I go to answer it._

_There on the other side, stands my mother._

(I can only guess that it is my mother; she left

when I was very young.) _She keeps telling me_

_how much she misses my dad and me. She says_

_she wants to come home and never leave us again._

I smiled and shook my head, dispelling the sad thoughts, and sending the last piece of the knot into reluctant submission. Just a silly daydream, it has not happened in eighteen years, might as well get on with my life. Speaking of my life, I would lose mine in about five minutes! My little daydream took my one hour of precious time to get ready for the sleep over my friends were throwing me. Kryztyne was going to be furious! She was my driver and absolutely hated to be late, and it does not matter if we were late for my little get together. She does not except excuses. The fact that my hair would not cooperate would only make her insist that I chop my hair as short as hers, which I was absolutely against.

Jumping into my favorite old blue jeans, my red T-shirt, my grandmother's cameo choker, and a pair of sneakers, I took off down the stairs. In my rush, I almost completely forgot my overnight bag. I threw a quick good bye over my shoulder so my dad could tell I was leaving and was out the door before he could see me sprint past. I jumped into the passenger seat of Kryztyne's waiting car steeling myself for the barrage of complaints, lectures, and cold stares coming from my impromptu driver. My dad had nothing on Kryztyne. If I had a choice between a pissed off Kryztyne and a bunch of starved vampires, werewolves, and flesh eating zombies, I would so take the latter. Compared to Kryztyne my dad looked like Mother Theresa. Expecting the worst, I peeked at her through my curtain of hair. She was smiling as if she just got away with stealing the hope diamond.

"Okay I give, why are you smiling like that? Why aren't you mad? And….And where are we going?!?" I just looked out the window into unfamiliar surroundings. We were not on Emily's road. The clock showed we had been driving for nearly a half an hour; it only took five minutes to get to Emily's house from mine. Kryztyne's smile just widened.

"You'll see!"

"Yeah, whatever." Somehow, that did not make me feel more comfortable.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Getting There **

After another half hour of winding roads and twisted trees, the asphalt disappeared. Kryztyne killed the engine in the shade of a giant oak. I got out of the car and looked around. We were in the middle of a field with grass up to my waist. Lots of thin trails criss-crossed the glade made by hikers finding new trails. Kryztyne came to my side of the car and handed me a backpack. "We walk from here." was all she said. There was no way to suppress the groan that escaped my lips. To say I was not the most graceful thing on earth would be an understatement. An elephant in high heels, a tutu, and balancing on a giant rubber ball was a thousand times more graceful than me.

"Why the hell are we hiking through the woods? We are supposed to be at Emily's! I don't think you fully appreciate how that forest looks to me." I forced through gritted teeth. Forget butterflies, I had an iron weight in the pit of my stomach.

"And just what does it look like to you?" Kryztyne giggled

"Like a friggen mine field!...Dammit Kryztyne, stop laughing! It is so not funny! It's scary as hell!" my little rant left me breathless and the blood pounding in my ears. After I stopped panting, I became aware of giggles coming from behind me.

"Damn Selene, you really don't like the woods do you?" turning I saw Emily's strawberry blonde hair shaking with silent laughter.

"'A friggen mine field', how funny!" Ryan and Charlie were practically rolling with laughter. Carol just shook her head in mock shame.

"I can't believe one of my friends could be so melodramatic." She sighed

Angel just said "Happy Birthday Selene!" then she leaned in closer to me and whispered "Don't worry I feel the same way." She typically managed to make me feel calm but today it was so not working.

Every one of my friends is the outdoor or athletic type. Emily and Kryztyne spend weeks on end in the mountains. Charlie and Ryan go camping every chance they get. And Angel, well …Angel liked to dance. I tried to go with them a few times but I always got into some kind of accident. All of them were graceful, beautiful, kind, and caring. What they see in me I have no idea.

"Well are we just gonna stand here all day, or are we gonna get moving?" Emily fidgeted eager to get started. "We are losing light, and knowing Selene we are going to be in the forest for a while." I had never seen Emily so nervous. To tell the truth, all of them seemed nervous. None of my friends would look me in the eye. I stared at them hoping to dissect their body language and pry the secret from their minds. With a sigh, I gave up and headed toward the nearest trail, until Kryztyne set me straight. "Just where are you going? Do you have any idea?"

"Absolutely not, but if you aren't going to lead the way somebody has to." I stated with a shrug. When Emily bounced into view, she had the widest smile possible on her face. "We were waiting for you to tell us you were ready!"

"Ready for what?" I asked, surprised at the sudden change. Relief was evident on everyone's faces, except Kryztyne, who kept her eyes on Emily.

"Your surprise! It is a good thing you do not like woods. Your little hissy fit gave Ashley, Tom, and Marie enough time to get ready! I…..Oops! I said to much." She bit her lip then to hold back the flood of words. Keeping quiet was a chore for Emily. She liked to talk and have fun. She was just so bubbly and happy all the time. I loved to talk to her; I always ended up laughing no matter what. Today, though, she only made me suspicious.

"And what surprise would that be?" I asked narrowing my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest. Kryztyne just locked eyes with Emily and shook her head.

"Err….Um….you'll see when we get there!" Emily said her enthusiasm returning. "Let's go. The sooner we get there the sooner we get to have fun. Stay close, ok, Selene? Wouldn't want the birthday girl to break a leg!" and with a wink she broke into a long legged stride, with me basically jogging to keep up.

"You're throwing me a party aren't you? You know I hate being the center of attention! I'm a total klutz! Why don't we just turn around and go home and do what we planned?" I was being childish and I knew it but it couldn't hurt to try.

"Oh stop whining and keep up." She could be annoyingly stubborn. "Anyway we are doing what we planned." She gave me a big smile but I just grumbled, which made her laugh. I focused solely on my feet attempting to keep them beneath me. I barely noticed the rest of the girls falling into place behind me. Emily was right, we had wasted light. Here in Moonveiw, Idaho light was a scarcity. The better part of days were spent beneath thick cloud cover. Even in July, the sun was rarely seen. And no exceptions were made for my birthday. At least one thing listened to my demand. As the sun fell behind the mountains and the shadows lengthened, our little group of girls grew very quite. Girlish giggles and squeals faded and soon only Emily was left talking. Identifying this tree or that for future reference. By the end of the hour-long hike, I had fallen five times and was covered in scratches, scrapes, and green stains from the little bit of grass covering the trail. When Emily stopped moving, I collapsed on the ground panting. She wouldn't stop for a rest. Not even once! Looking around I noticed that Emily and Kryztyne were the only people still standing. Everyone grumbled about getting all sweaty and dirty. I only noticed my surroundings once Emily announced, "We're here! Everybody up!" sometimes I wish I could just hit her in the peppy, happy, puppy dog-face of hers. With a mutual groan, everyone rose to their feet. As I stood, I saw the most beautiful cabin in the middle of a natural meadow. A little pathway leading to a wrap around porch was lined with flower shaped lanterns that gave a blue glow to everything, making it look otherworldly and dreamlike. It was so perfect. How long had my friends been planning this? It looked like something out of a magazine. They must have been at this for weeks. I was so full of emotion. They were all gathered together waiting for my reaction. Carol and Ryan fidgeted and stared at everything but me. Angel watched with careful, questioning eyes. Kryztyne and Emily just chewed their lower lips, their eyes never leaving my face. Looking at them, I realized how much they really meant to me. Never before had I known just how much I cared. They were like my family now. Just them and my dad.

"Selene? Are you ok?" Carol looked at me with concern. Apparently, I was crying. With a laugh, I launched myself at all of them knocking them all to the ground.

"Thank you! Thank you! You guys are the best. I love you all!" we all laughed uncontrollably, except for carol, who was demanding that we get off her. I really can't blame her, she was the smallest of us all and, unfortunately, she was on the bottom of the impromptu dog pile. When she had finally wormed her way out of the tangled mass of hair, legs, and arms, she drew herself up to her full height, trying to appear menacing, but it had the opposite effect.

If you have ever seen anyone who is less than five-foot tall try to look menacing, you understand when I say that we started laughing so hard that people in town heard us. Eventually Carol stormed off throwing "I'll be in the cabin if anyone cares" over her shoulder. She was more moody than the rest of us combined, but carol was kind at heart and fiercely loyal. There was something about her I couldn't place. Something that always drew me back to her.

"Well, this is nice and all that, but how about you wait till you are inside to tell us how much you like everything, hmm?" Angel suggested from under Kryztyne. Squealing like a kid on Christmas morning, I jumped to my feet, eager to see the party I asked them not to throw me.

"Let's go! Hurry! Get up! Kryztyne let Angel up, NOW! I can't wait! So excited!" pausing only for a breath I chattered on and on trying to explain all the emotions welling inside me. Emily stood with her mouth hanging open. She never heard me speak so much at one time. I felt drunk with happiness. When I paused for another breath, Emily stepped forward, put two fingers on my lips, and said "Breath Selene, breath. Deep slow breaths. Okay, I'm going to put this blindfold on you so you can get the full experience, Okay?" she then took a piece of silk from her pocket and tied it around my eyes. After my eyes were covered with the baby blue cloth, that I was sure matched the decorations inside, did I trust Angel to lead me up the stairs to the porch. I suddenly remembered that I had to call me dad, he was no doubt freaking out. I should have called when the hike began.

"Oh no, wait! I have to call my dad!" I reached up to pull the fabric from my eyes.

"Don't do that unless you want to ruin weeks of planning." It sounded like Emily.

"Don't worry Selene. We told him last week what we were planning." Angel assured me. No wonder he had been so smug when I insisted on taking my cell phone. "We warned him that we would be out of range, but when we got a signal I would have you call him." He knew for a week and did not even warn me. He was an accomplice to this whole scheme. I felt a rush of cool air as the door opened. The fabric knotted around my eyes loosened and fell away. Opening my eyes, I gasped in shock. Our little hiking group was joined by three more, standing at the base of a spiral staircase laced with lilies and blue roses, their arms held out wide.

"Surprise!" they must have practiced because they all yelled it at the top of their lungs at exactly the same time. The decorations must have cost a small fortune. There must have been three hundred dollars worth of flowers in the foyer alone. A large banner hung over the stairs, and, in large, baby blue, letters, said:

"_**HAPPY BIRTHDAY SELENE! MAGICAL 18 IS HERE"**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Torture**

Marie launched herself out of the group and bounded toward me. With an enthusiastic "Come on!", she grabbed my hand and dragged me into a lavish dining room, filled with all my favorite foods. One table held nothing but sushi and another, five kinds of pizza. One even held sixteen different flavors of coke. They had everything, but my favorite part was on a table in the middle of the room. It was the most beautiful cake I had ever seen. It was baby blue and four tiers high. White flowers tumbled down the sides while little silver birds peeked out from beneath the sugar leaves. It was perfect. Lilies were important to me because of my grandmother. She used to believe that plants had special powers and it took someone special to use them. She always told me when she got where she needed to be she would send me a lily, and she kept that promise. The day after she passed on, a lily bloomed under my bedroom window. Remembering her brought tears to my eyes. I blinked to rid myself of the unwanted moisture.

When Marie saw my tears, her smile vanished and she looked as if she was going to cry along with me. "What's the matter? Did I do something wrong? You don't like the cake. I made it myself. I know I'm not great at decorating, but I thought you would love the flowers. You're always drawing them, and I practiced for so long…." She hung her head in shame, her voice trailing off.

"No! It's not like that!" I sniffed. "It's just so beautiful! I couldn't help but cry." I faked a smile, and hoped she bought my little white lie. She did. I hated to lie to anyone, especially Marie. She was so trusting and kind.

"Selene!" the harsh tone startled me so badly I almost knocked the cake off the table. Turning I saw Ryan standing by a stack of plates near the sushi. "Here we are starving and you are staring at a cake. I guarantee it's not going to sprout legs and run off! Now get over here and start getting food." With a chuckle, I took my place in front of her. "We can't eat before you, it would be rude." She said with a general glance in Charlie's direction, who apparently didn't get the rules of birthday etiquette and was piling her plate with food. With a blush, she put down the piece of sushi she was putting on her plate. Ryan must be hungry; she was only grumpy when she didn't eat.

Towards the end of our little dinner, I heard a chorus of clearing throats. I knew that they couldn't resist making me the center of attention, but I still couldn't hold back the warmth from blossoming in my cheeks. Right when they had filled their lungs to the max, a sharp knock interrupted the silence.

"I'll get it!" I jumped up so fast I knocked over my chair. As I rushed out of the room I heard the defeated 'whoosh' of exhaled breath. I practically ran to the door planning to throw myself at my savior, even though they only delayed the inevitable. Maybe it was my dad! Maybe he was mad at me for not calling and had come to take me home. I sighed I wasn't that lucky. I turned the handle to the door and swung it wide, but no one stood on the step. I went out into the yard swinging my head back and forth, looking for my unseen visitor. "Hello?" my voice sounded too loud in the quiet forest. "Who's out there?" the next thing I knew I had been knocked to the ground and pinned beneath a large furry animal. I struggled against the weight, but this animal was incredibly heavy. With a strangled cry, I threw myself to the right, rolling through dead plant matter, only to be pinned by the body of the beast. I felt its hot breath on my face. I couldn't scream, I couldn't even breathe. I could see the pearl white dagger like fangs inches from my face. This was how I was going to die, mauled on my eighteenth birthday. Would they find me? Would they let my dad see me? Would they have to identify me by my dental records? I winced as I imagined my body, bent, broken, and scattered throughout the woods. Just when I believed all hope was lost, a slobbery tongue slimed its way across my face. As my eyes adjusted to the shadows, I found I knew this furry animal. I allowed her to sleep on my bed. I fed her everyday, took her on walks, and watched TV. with her on the couch. In fact, just this morning, she ate my shoes.

"Sigi! What are you doing here? You scared me to death! Do you know that?" I reached up to scratch her behind her ears as she allowed me to sit up.

"Sigi? Come back, Sigi!" the familiar voices were followed by low oaths from beyond the edge of the meadow. Sigi yelped and darted toward the voices. A giggle escaped me as Sigi backed out of the brush dragging Jojo by the seat of her pants. Kellie was hopelessly tangled in the holly bush and brad was fighting back a laugh. A good thing to because if he did laugh the girls would have clawed his eyes out. "Sigi, will you let go...I said let go!" Sigi did and ran to sit by my side. I could not stop laughing, Kellie's face was priceless. Brad noticed me first. He strode over to me and offered his hand. I grasped it and he pulled me to my feet with no effort whatsoever.

"Happy birthday, Selene." he whispered when we were inches apart. He had a way of making my heartbeat faster. The only problem: I had no luck with men. Angel tried to bolster my confidence one day so I could attempt to ask him to homecoming, but as I walked up to him, I tripped, and fell into his arms. I was so embarrassed, I just ran off, with a lame 'Sorry I have to go.' Remembering the incident made my cheeks flood with color and I had to look down at my toes. His blue eyes sparkled with worry as he placed a hand on my forehead. "Are you OK? You don't have a fever do you?" I just about fainted! Throwing myself away from him, I stumbled "No! I…I'm f...fine!" with the biggest fake smile I could muster. His frown told me he didn't believe me.

"Hey love birds! Do you plan on getting me out of this bush tonight?" Kellie said with an edge of menace. She was the youngest out of all of us and had quiet a large mouth. I hurried away from brad to work on the stiff branches encasing Kellie's arms and legs. As I worked on her jail, I chattered aimlessly with Jojo.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Texas? How did you find us? When did you get Sigi? Why did you get Sigi? What did…?"

"If you will take a breath, I wouldn't mind telling you!" Jojo was scraping the dog saliva off her backside. "To answer your questions in order: we are here for your birthday, we just flew in yesterday, Emily told us how to get here, right after you left, and finally , we thought she might like to celebrate your birthday with you." Inspecting her jeans, she nodded with approval.

"Selene? What's going on? Are you okay? We thought we heard you scream!" Emily called from the porch.

"I did, but I'm okay. It was just Sigi. She surprised me. By this time Brad's quick hands joined mine, and we successfully extricated Kellie from the bush. She brushed past us mumbling something about not seeing what the big deal was brad rolled his eyes so that only I could see. I giggled and walked toward the house with Jojo. Although the sisters looked similar, they couldn't be more different. Jojo was quiet with a temper like a volcano. Kellie liked to talk and hardly ever stayed angry for long.

"You guys are just in time to sing 'happy birthday' to Selene!" Ryan stated with a smirk in my direction. I just groaned in reply. Having them sing to me was bad, but with brad here, it was going to be unbearable. He was really going to think something was wrong with me. When we reached the porch, a strange wail rose up from the woods around the meadow. It was heart breakingly pitiful, so much so that my skin crawled and my eyes watered with tears. As I turned to discover the source of the sound, I saw Sigi leap forward, her hackles standing on end, with a horrible snarl from deep within her chest. I've never seen Sigi act like that and, frankly, it was scary.

"Maybe we should get inside." Angel suggested. Her eyes drifted over the edge of the woods and then back with a weak smile. We could hardly get in the door fast enough. Ryan laughed as Jojo fell over Sigi, bumped into me, and sent me straight into brads arms.

"You just can't stay on your feet can you?" his smile could make anyone melt. Every time he looked at me, my tongue felt thick and my words became jumbled. I felt like saying 'only when you're around'; but all I managed was a timid smile. After he set me on my feet, we headed into the dining room for my torture. Sitting around the table again, the first few notes of the most familiar song drifted through the air.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Message in a Dream**

A howl rose up from the woods that surrounded me. The tops of the trees leaned in towards me. Their tops as sharp as daggers. Finally, I pushed myself forward into a clearing, and in the center of that clearing sat Sigi. The lovable dog gave me some comfort in the ghost forest. As I rushed forth to embrace her, she shimmered in the red moonlight. Her shape alternating between the dog I knew, to a wolf, then settling on a woman in flowing white robes. I froze in my tracks as the white woman beckoned me forward. I stood still until another howl from the woods convinced me I would be safer near the woman who had been my dog. Rushing to her, I tripped and almost fell, but the woman caught me. When she spoke, her voice sounded of agony, bells, and water.

"Selene, we don't have much time. The hour of chance is near. We must strike now while she is weak and you are strong. We…" Another howl erupted from the shadows, closer this time. A shudder ran down Sigi's entire frame. For some unknown reason I wanted to go to the sound. I wanted to comfort whatever was making it. The pitiful thing must be hurt. But Sigi's voice broke through my trance. "Selene listen to me! You must never…Never!...go to that sound. Every time you hear it run! Run far away! I don't care where, just go! The howl interrupted her again, this time it sounded like it was in the clearing. She spun around so quickly her robes flared behind her. Her growl struck a chord of fear in my chest. I was, very suddenly, terrified. I couldn't understand what had been so beautiful about the sound. I was frozen. I couldn't move. Sigi didn't move from her protective stance in front of my body. "Run! Selene, Run! Hurry! Wake up! Please!" as her voice echoed through the strange meadow, she shimmered again and in her place stood a white wolf. Soundlessly, she bounded to the edge of the woods. Her last words had been enough to break through the bindings of fear that held my frozen. Her last words bouncing in my head, I turned and started running. I've never ran so fast in my life. Behind me, the first sounds of fighting intensified.

My lungs ached. My muscles burned. I wanted to stop so badly, but an instinct pushed me further and faster. My heart beat against my ribs, like a bird trying desperately to escape. A root reached up and grabbed my ankle. When I hit the ground, the skin on my palms and knees peeled back and I felt dirt grind itself into the raw flesh. I screamed in pain. I half turned and saw a throbbing mass, darker than the shadows, twisting through the trees toward me. Sigi's last request clawed its way to the front of my brain: wake up. At last, I loosed a strangled scream and bolted upright. My eyes darted over the room, examining every inch of darkness, looking for my pursuer. I was drenched in sweat. Sigi sat next to me in the bed that Emily had set up for me at her neat little cabin in the woods. Trembling I reached up to touch Sigi's face. Just a dream.

'Now we can talk.' Her voice was that of the woman in my dreams, but instead of hearing it with my ears, I heard it with my mind. Then I screamed for real.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Identity**

"Selene, are you alright?" Of course, Brad would be the first one to react, as if I hadn't been embarrassed enough.

"I'm…uh…Fine." I lied never once taking my eyes off the dog now standing on my chest. "Just a bad dream." By this time, everyone was awake and standing at the door wanting to make sure I was okay. "Really guys, I'm fine. I'm totally tired right now, so I'm going back to sleep." I gave a fake yawn to prove my point. Emily and Kryztyne wiggled their way through the little group to sit on either side of me.

"Do you want us to stay with you till you fall asleep?" Emily might be a ditz at times, but she could always tell when something was wrong. Her eyes traveled the length of my face, lingering on my terror stricken eyes.

"No, I'm fine. I just want to sleep." With a sigh, she gave up and relinquished her grip on my hand. No doubt, tomorrow I would be plagued with questions. When Emily stood to go, I thought I caught her glaring at Sigi, but when I looked back, she was just smiling at me as she shooed everyone away. Kryztyne and I sat there for a good ten minutes before she rose to go. As she walked through the doorway she stopped and turned to look at me once more, then her eyes shifted to Sigi as she turned out the light.

I lay perfectly still for almost an hour. When I was sure everyone was back to sleep I leaped for the door, slammed it shut and turned on my bedside lamp. "Just what the hell are you?" I whispered so I wouldn't risk waking anyone.

'Be silent!' Sigi's voice sounded in my head again. 'I can hear your thoughts, so you don't have to use your voice.' I thought that was ridiculous, and was about to voice my opinion in the matter when Sigi stated 'It may be, but it comes in handy when you need to communicate silently with a comrade.' She scratched at her ears unsuccessfully, and then turned to me. 'Will you scratch my ears? I can't ever seem to get the right spot. God I miss thumbs.' I reached a hand out to stroke the dog's thick fur. She seemed like the same dog, but I couldn't grasp the concept that this was my pet. 'That's the spot' her voice crooned. I must have winced because she sighed and looked me straight in the eyes. 'Remember how you used to always wish to know what I was thinking? How is this any different? Go to sleep and in the morning I will explain everything'

"No!" I accidentally startled her by saying the word aloud with much more intensity then I meant. She gave me a strange, questioning look. "That dream might come back. I'm…I'll…I've never been so scared in my whole life." I hung my head to hide my shame at being scared of such a childish thing.

Sigi's voice grew comforting and soft, almost like a mother soothing her child. 'I promise that no more dreams will come to you tonight.' And she was right.

In the morning, I went to wash up in the simple little bathroom across the hall, but when I flicked on the lights, I came dangerously close to screaming again. On my knees and palms, where skin should have covered the flesh and bone, the meat was exposed and flaked with debris from the forest floor. Dropping my things, I ran back across the hall. 'Sigi?' I thought because I couldn't see my furry companion anywhere.

"Over here." was her reply, but this time the sound reached my ears. I inhaled sharply as my bedding was thrown aside and the woman from my dream stood before me, except slightly altered. Instead of the white robes she wore in my dream, the woman wore a shirt made of wool and leather laced up the sides. Her pants were leather that led to a pair of leather boots that looked light as a feather. Her blue brown hair was pulled back in a braid, revealing pointed ears. Her eyes were the same bright yellow as the Sigi I knew. At her side hung a sword and a dagger with gold hilts and emeralds encrusted into the cross guards. On her hands were gloves that had weird symbols made of gold attached to her wrists. Her skin was pale, almost glowing. And her face was self-esteem destroyingly beautiful. I almost forgot what I was going to ask her.

"I believed you would find it less… disturbing, if you weren't talking to a dog." She said with a smile. That smile revealed perfect teeth, to perfect, with the canines extending lower and sharper than the rest. I shuddered; I could only imagine what those teeth were used for. She laughed as she read my thought. Her laugh was abnormal. It was too beautiful to be a laugh, she could have been singing. Once the sound stopped, everything else seemed to harsh and hurt my ears. My own voice sounded like gravel in a blender as I asked, "How come my hands were hurt?" she frowned as she examined the flesh on my palms. Then, before I could react, both of her hands closed around mine. They glowed blue as I felt my skin flow seamlessly over the exposed flesh of my hands. When she finished she released my hands. I turned them this way and that looking for a mark of some kind, a scar, left where the wound had been. It tingled slightly but not unpleasantly.

"Better?" she asked with a crooked smile. I just nodded unable to answer. "Let me see your knees. I'll take care of them as well. Can't have your dad getting worried about you." She said mockingly as she forced me to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Or Emily and Kryztyne." I added. The silence after my remark sent me into a fury. "They knew before me?!?" I pushed her hands away from my mangled knees. How could they? They knew what was going to happen and still brought me out into the middle of nowhere? My heart breaking I darted out of the room, down the stairs, and towards the kitchen where I knew my so-called friends would be. Sigi had no trouble keeping up, and her boots made no noise on the squeaky stairs. In the doorway of the kitchen I stopped. Emily was sitting on the island in the polka dot nightgown and robe set I bought her for Christmas, and sipping coffee. Kryztyne was at the stove cooking an omelet, angel was looking out the window, and Ryan was sketching a picture of Charlie reading a book at the other side of the breakfast nook. Without looking at me, Kryztyne walked to the fridge to grab some cheese and went back to the stove.

"Does she know?" Emily asked still staring straight ahead. This is what everyone had been waiting for. Ryan looked up from behind her bangs, solemn for once, Kryztyne's back stiffened, angel half turned toward us, and Charlie looked straight at Sigi. Shaking her head, Sigi entered the kitchen and accepted a plate of food from Kryztyne. She sat next to Ryan before speaking. "She found out you guys knew and flipped out." She rolled her eyes and took a bite of omelet.

"Can you really blame her? I mean your dog comes into your dream and can change into a human and invade your thoughts. Pretty freaky stuff if you ask me." As Angel scolded Sigi, Kryztyne took the chance to hit the back of her head with a frying pan, knocking her out of her seat. Everyone just gaped at Kryztyne.

"That's for being stupid." She stated as Sigi rubbed the large goose egg forming on the back of her head.

"How could you? How could you lie to ME? I thought you…I…we…" tears threatened to fall down my face. My heart was breaking, was my friendship with them a lie to? Was this all a lie? Why didn't I see it sooner? I was so different from them.

"Selene, stop." Emily's voice was calm, but it wasn't a request. "We never lied to you. It would have hurt you more if we told you any sooner, but we would have had you asked us about it ." her eyes were sad.

"Selene?" Angel's quiet voice called my attention. "What do you think we kept from you?" everyone looked at me this time, equal parts curiosity and amusement in their eyes. Emily and Charlie chuckled, Kryztyne and Sigi rolled their eyes, Ryan made a face, and Angel just smiled at my silence. I honestly didn't know what they were keeping from me, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

Kryztyne came closer and put a hand on my shoulder. "Who are you Selene?" her face had lost all humor.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Tell me who you are. About your hobbies, your parents, your life, your home." She said forcing me to sit at the table near Sigi. Taking a deep breath, I started:

"My name is Selene Ann Miller. I'm 18 years old. My dad, Jacob Dean Miller, is a Firefighter. He really can't cook. I don't know my mother because she left when I was a baby. I live in a two story house in Moonview, Idaho with my dad and my dog Sigi." I ended with a glance at Sigi to see if I had offended her, but she just smiled her sharp-toothed smile.

"No, you're wrong. You are Selene _Elizabeth Harrell_. You like to _experiment with your powers_. Your dad really is Jacob Miller, but your mom _didn't_ leave you. _Your dad took you when you were born and you have a sister_." Kryztyne corrected me with a shake of her head. The shock hit me like a brick wall. My world had been turned upside down in 24 hours. My _life_was the lie.

"Wha…What? No! I know who I am! I'm Selene Ann!" I put my fists to my temples to keep my brain from bursting. "I can't be anyone else!" Sigi left the table while I tried to process the information that was being forced on me. When Sigi came back, she knelt in front of me and placed her hands on my shoulders.

"If you don't believe us, then ask someone you trust more." And with that, my father stepped into the kitchen.

"Oh, Selene…"And then I lost it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: My Own Stranger**

"So you're saying I'm not who I think I am?" this was the longest day of my life. My brain struggled to keep up with what these people were saying. This whole day had been spent sitting in the living room, having my identity ripped away. I stared out the window and watched the sky turn to liquid gold. Tears streamed down my face**, **leaving darkened spots where they fell on my sleep shorts. Everyone was still in their pajamas, looking exhausted. I was so glad everyone else, especially Brad, had left for home early this morning. I wouldn't be able to hold my composure this well had they been here.

"That's exactly what we're saying. Selene, I wanted to tell you so much I knew it had to be kept a secret. There were things you had to learn before you could know who you were. I did it to protect you and everyone else. I would have taken your sister to, but know there were two of you. I had very limited time, you see. I didn't want you to grow up hating humans like your sister did. They would have taught you that humans were swine, only good for back-breaking labor and destruction." He said with a grimace.

"So I'm not even human now? What am I an alien?" a few days ago I would have been furious, but now I was just empty. You had to be someone to be angry, and apparently, Selene Ann Miller didn't exist. When I spoke, my voice sounded hollow, broken, and dead. Sigi winced as the connection between our minds forced the total force of my desolation into her head. I didn't care. I wanted her to feel it, for her to feel my pain. It made sure I was real.

"We aren't saying that. When we say 'humans' we mean people without powers." Emily had come from the hearth after starting a fire so we wouldn't freeze as the night chill crept around the house. "Princess Sauna took over the kingdom soon after your mother took ill, and her first order was to enslave or kill anyone who were powerless or who stood against her reign." Her voice was thick with disgust. "Your own mother tried to stop her, but she wasn't strong enough to destroy her own daughter. She hesitated and died because of it." Kryztyne punched Emily hard in the arm and whispered something that made Emily blush and avert her eyes. Apparently, Kryztyne thought that this information would upset me further. I probably would have laughed if I didn't feel so empty.

I watched the sun's last rays disappear behind the trees. The moon was rising full and bright. Selene and Sauna. Complete opposites, yet linked, like yin and yang, the son and the moon. It was ironic actually.

"Who named me? The simple act of talking astounded them. They couldn't believe I could still function.

"I named you for your mother, Luna. I swear you are more like her everyday." His eyes misted over, as if remembering a pleasant forgotten dream.

"When do you guys come into my screwed up little life?" my voice oozed venom, I still didn't trust them.

"That's enough Selene." His voice boomed in the little room causing everyone to flinch. My dad never raised his voice to me. I was almost speechless. Almost.

"Enough? ENOUGH?!? No! It will never be enough! In fact….." I was standing now. Anger and hate flooded through my veins, "no matter what I said it could never make you understand what I feel! I've had everything…EVERYTHING!...taken from me! Do you know how that feels?" every nerve in my body crackled and popped with energy and it felt good. I was standing on the edge of something forbidden and there was a desire for pain. I wanted to give into this new sensation. I was fading out of this world and into the darkness. I just wanted to let go. To fall into the abyss.

"Angel, now!" Kryztyne barked. Suddenly I was very sleepy. My eyes fluttered, eyelids heavy. I struggled to stay alert, to hold on to my anger, but I couldn't remember why I was mad. I just wanted to snuggle with my dog and dream.

"Selene, you need to stay calm. You could put us all in grave danger." The fire caused dark shadows on Emily's face. Her normally lavender-blue eyes were almost black and the total fear made them flick nervously around the room. Her skin was stretched tight across her cheekbones, making her look like a skeleton. Glancing around, I noticed that all my friends had this same mask of worry and fear. They were scared of me. They thought I would hurt them, and were willing to fight if the need arouse.

"I…I'm sorry…so sorry…I'll try." I whispered. Sigi perked up then and walked to the door. When it swung open there stood Ashley. I hadn't even heard a knock. Sigi saw me staring, smiled her toothy smile, and winked.

"What did I miss?" she asked everyone. Watching their faces, she removed her jacket. Emily started.

"Selene found out we knew…"

"Got angry.." Kryztyne shrugged.

"Didn't believe us…" angel shook her head.

"Became depressed…"Charlie stared at me.

"Almost killed us all…" Ryan added.

"And almost lost control." Sigi finished flopping into one of the recliners.

Ashley nodded as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Well can you blame her? Everything she knew about herself has just become a lie. I told you we should have told her when she was young." She looked pointedly at my dad, who shrank under her gaze, then turned on Sigi." Nevertheless, you had no right to go against my orders. You should have waited. She wasn't ready and neither were you." No wonder everyone seemed peeved with Sigi, she had disobeyed orders when she invaded my dreams.

"Getting back to your previous question: we have always been with you. Watching and waiting." Emily was serious now, a rarity. Ashley moved to the hearth so she could warm her frozen limbs. "We joined high school so we could watch you better , but we sent Sigi to protect you at night. We thought it would be a good idea to tell you when you were young, so it wouldn't be a shock, but your dad disagreed." She finished with a sigh.

"Why don't you get some sleep. You've had a very traumatic day and I can tell you're tired." Ashley said with a smile. I had been fighting to keep my eyes open since my little 'outburst', but suddenly I was wide-awake.

"Look one more thing and I'll go to sleep, o.k.? I know what Sigi can do, and I keep hearing you guys mention 'powers'. What are they? What can you guys do? Can I do anything? I want to know!" I had forgotten to ask before when they mentioned them. Suddenly, Emily her happy self again.

"Oh! Oh! I want to show her! Can I please? Please? Can I? Me first!" she was jumping up and down on her toes. Her reddish-blonde hair flying behind her. She looked like a five year old in a candy shop.

"Let her get some sleep first, Em. She needs to rest. You can show her in the morning. _And_you can go first." Kryztyne put a hand on Emily's shoulder holding her feet against the ground.

"Fine!" She had her lip in full pout mode, but then she smiled and took my hand. "Come on! I need to talk to you anyway." I went to the stairs with Emily in the lead. She rushed down the hall to my door and held it open for me. Once inside my room, Emily forced me to sit on the bed. "I can't show you everything I can do tonight, they would get suspicious if I was up here that long, but I can give you a preview." She walked to my bedside table and grabbed the bottle of water I had placed there last night, but then she paused. "If you tell, I could get in a lot of trouble for disobeying an order." She chewed her lower lip.

"I promise I won't tell." I said crossing my heart.

"Great! I mean Sigi broke the rules why can't I?" she asked with a devilish smile. Unscrewing the cap, she poured the contents over the bed, but instead of falling to the quilt, they hovered in midair, like little diamonds. I reached out and touched a little drop and it collapsed to the bed leaving a dark spot where it fell. Then the drops formed a silver snake that twisted through the air and wound around Emily's waist. She then extended her hands and pushed the water apart. She turned it into a starry constellation. Only then did Emily return the water to its cage "I control water, and more! But that will have to wait till tomorrow." I could tell she wasn't happy with that, but that she would comply. She quickly sat up straight. "Come in." she announced with a wink.

"Kryztyne thought I needed to check on you two." Charlie's eyes flicked from Emily's face to the bottle of water in her hands. If it had been me, I would have blushed insanely, but Emily was as cool as the water she held, and she took a long sip from it before talking. " Just discussing our summer plans, Charlie. No need for Kryztyne to be worried. Anyway, I was just leaving. Goodnight Selene." And with that, she went out the door. This had been the longest day of my life, and when I laid my head on the pillow, I fell into a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Training**

"Dog pile!" Six bodies ambushed me as I snuggled under the quilt. "Get up Selene! You can't sleep all day." Emily was on top pf the pile and the only one with enough breath to speak.

"Want…to…bet?" I gasped. "I wish you guys would get off of me." I grumbled, my eyes still closed. Then suddenly, I could breath and I snuggled down into the quilt. I gripped the edges tightly, I had found out the hard way that when Kryztyne gets up you have to get up. Unfortunately, the hard way usually involved getting the coverings ripped off you followed by a blast of ice water.

"Um, Selene? Would you mind putting us down?" Ryan stated, holding her nightshirt down so certain parts wouldn't show. They were all floating about six inches from the ceiling above my bed.

"How the hell did you guys get up there?" I was still half-asleep and my brain wasn't functioning. Emily and angel drifted by my head upside down, holding on to each other for support.

"Well Selene, seeing as none of us can levitate people, my guess would be you're doing it." Angel said as her face drifted past me again. She was turning red due to the blood flow to her face. Emily was trying unsuccessfully to right herself. I gasped as I realized what they were implying. They fell to the floor with a group "Oomph!"

"I'm so sorry! I don't know how I did that! That's really cool! But I didn't mean to!" Ashley recovered first, jumping up and dusting herself off.

"No biggie. When I first discovered my powers, I took over half of my town and caused a tsunami." She just smiled as she took in my bewildered look. "You still want to see what we can do?" her voice had a warning note in it.

"Yes. Yes, I do. I'm not easily scared." I looked at Kryztyne who gave me a smile of confidence.

"Well then, get dressed and meet us out back. Your dad is already out there." Ashley motioned to Sigi and then walked out with the others right behind her.

"Ok then, I'm going to show you your armor and how you access it." Sigi said advancing towards me. She looked different today, les fierce and wild. Her hair was unbound and, instead of the leather clothing she had worn yesterday, she wore faded blue jeans, a black and white striped shirt, and black and white converse. Her teeth were less sharp today as well. She saw me staring at her new look and sighed. "Apparently, I scare your dad in my armor. He says he can't hear me coming. He also said I looked like something right out of a vampire movie." I couldn't be sure, but it sure sounded like someone did not like being compared to a vampire. "That's enough chit-chat, back to work! Take off your pajamas."

"What Hell no I'm not taking off my clothes!" I said stubbornly. I was not going to change in front of her.

"Why not? You've changed in front of me before, why is this any different?" she asked, puzzled.

"Because then you were a dog!" I wasn't fat, I just didn't like showing off my figure.

"Would it help if I changed into a dog?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Why?"

"'Cause I know you really aren't a dog!"

"Are you going to make this difficult?"

"I'm not taking off my clothes and that's final!" Sigi just smiled. Before I could even blink, the wolf Sigi landed on my chest, tearing my clothing, being very careful not to shred skin. Once I was standing there in all my glory, sigi returned to her human form. My cheeks burned a brilliant crimson as I tried to cover myself. "Now what!" I said attempting to wrap my nude body with the scraps of my ruined nightgown.

"Now focus. Each person's armor is unique. It represents their personality and their heritage. That's why mine is made of leather and is colored like the forest. Kryztyne's is simple and elegant, but is like the pattern on a black widow. Emily's is like the sea: bright and wild. Angel's is like the sky. Ashley's is like the negative effects of a storm. So tap into yourself. Concentrate on your wants and needs, your friends and family, find your soul."

"It's hard to concentrate when I'm nude!" I snapped. Sigi just watched me intently. I sighed and shut my eyes tight. I tried to focus on me, to find me in the jumble of my thoughts. It was impossible. "I can't do it Sigi. Can't I just put some clothes on? Please?" I started to inch towards my bag.

"Do you want any more of your clothes to get shredded?" she growled and bared her teeth, which were visibly longer. I stopped dead in my tracks. "Now, try again please. The more you practice the easier it will get." She wasn't giving in that easily. With a sigh, I shut my eyes again and willed my mind to be silent. Suddenly I could feel a pull on my mind. It drug me to my core, where a gold light so bright, burned. The light surrounded me and, as quickly as it began, it ended. "Well?" She asked smiling.

"I saw something, but I doubt it worked. It faded really quickly." I shook my head. "Now can I put some clothes on?"

"Don't be such a pessimist." She was beaming and had a triumphant gleam in her eyes. Then she held up a mirror. There I stood in the skimpiest getup I had ever seen. My top covered barely anything. My bottom was made of four pieces of a strange metal and two pieces of cloth. My boots covered my legs up to my knees and were made of the same kind of metal. A pair of gloves came all the way up to my elbows. It was all colored a rich merlot red and deep gold.

"You have got to be kidding me!" great just what I needed. Apparently, deep down, I was a freak.

"Stop fidgeting! It looks great." Sigi scolded as we walked to the back door. "Keep messing with it and you're going to have a wardrobe malfunction like Janet." She knew the right thing to say because my hands immediately left the armor alone. "Wait here, o.k.? I want to announce your arrival so they can all get a good look." Somehow, I think she just anxious to see my reaction to the attention. She slipped out the door and started talking to the others. What had I gotten myself into? "Alright! Come on out Selene!" I grabbed the doorknob and hesitated. "If you don't come out in ten seconds, I will shred all your clothes, and you will have to wear your armor everywhere." That was a serious threat. I rushed out the door so fast I tripped over my own feet and fell flat on my face.

As I lay there, I heard a faint giggle. I looked up and scowled at them, which caused them to laugh uncontrollably. The only one with a straight face was Ashley. She had an air of authority, I bet she was the one in charge. She cleared her throat and the girls pulled themselves together. I was right. She was in charge.

"Are you o.k.?" Emily forced between giggles.

"First day on your new feet Selene?" Ryan walked to my side and helped me up. I brushed the leaves off my stomach and picked the twigs out of my cleavage. Ryan then led me to a boulder, that I was certain hadn't been there yesterday.. "Sit here, get comfortable, and learn." She flashed me a quick smile and ran back to the line that was forming behind Emily. And true to their word, she got to go first. She stepped forward and a bright blue light flared around her. When it faded, she stood in her armor. Sigi had been right, it was very bright. Greens and blues glowed against her pale skin. She took a deep breath and began her demonstration. Along with controlling water, she could shape shift, and could predict anything from gaming outcomes to the weather. That was how she had acquired the house. She won it in a bet. Somehow, I was not surprised.

Angel was next, and the light that changed her was white. She showed me that air wasn't as safe as I thought. She could calm emotions and had incredible strength.

Ryan was after her, with a harsh flash of gold. Ryan's armor was a soft purple, which hugged her curves, and was accented with gold. She called down lightning and used it like play dough. She then cut her hand and within seconds, it was completely healed. And the reason she always passed her classes was because of her power of persuasion. After that was Kryztyne with her spirits, duplication, and her power to read minds. Then Charlie controlling earth, manipulating fears, and agility that would put a gymnast to shame.

Finally, Ashley stepped to the middle of the field. Instead of the flash of light that signaled changes in the others, Ashley was surrounded by a grey fog that spun up her legs changing her as it passed over her skin and clothing. Finally, it passed over her face, leaving her hair long and flowing with a flower tucked behind her ear. With a flick of a finger clouds gathered low, black, and thick. A twist of her wrist started a downpour that drenched the forest. She showed me how her glamour worked and then she smiled at me. "Welcome to training. Lets begin." Little did I know, this would be my own personal hell on Earth.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: New Blood**

Ashley had finally given me permission to leave the little house in the woods so I could get some clothes from home. Sitting in the passenger seat of Kryztyne's bright red Camaro, I was painfully aware of the aches in my joints and muscles. Ashley's idea of training would leave the navy seals looking like a bunch of sissies. I was up before the sun running a mile with Sigi taking me down trails that looked like they hadn't been traveled in a hundred years. After that was a short break for breakfast, followed by a sparring lesson from Emily and Kryztyne, then defense with Charlie and Ryan. I had a break around noon for lunch and first aid, which was followed by a history lesson from Angel. Lastly, Ashley herself taught me about my powers. My day ended when the moon was high in the sky. "Huh? Did you say something?" I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts I had completely blocked out everything else.

"I said 'We're here.'" Kryztyne rolled her eyes. Then she stiffened in her seat, narrowed her eyes, and stared at the door to my house. "And someone else is to." She was out of the car in an instant and walking to the front door. I hurried to unbuckle the seatbelt and open the car door, but I was having difficulty. Why did sports cars have to be so damned complicated? Finally, the seatbelt gave and I rushed to the front door "Selene, I'm going in first. Follow close behind me ok?" I could just make out the white mist of spirits forming around her. I gulped and nodded. Kryztyne went slowly over the threshold, not making a sound. I clamored behind her making enough racket for the two of us as I grabbed the bat my dad kept downstairs. Kryztyne walked through the entire first floor of my house, stopping outside my living room. In the light that filtered through the curtains, I could just make out a shadow in the shape of a person walking around looking at the family photos. Kryztyne edged into the room moving quietly towards the intruder. When the person finally turned, Kryztyne launched her spirits at the intruder but he waved them away. I brought the bat down with as much force as I could muster, but only felt it splinter. Kryztyne then threw herself at the intruder and I watched them both fall. I ran to the wall, attempting to find the light switch, so we could at least give an accurate description of our attacker if we survived. "Who are you? Did Sauna send you? Answer me! Why are you…?" as the light came on Kryztyne went silent and her face was one of shock. I held the ruined bat ready for another swing. I may not get out of this alive, but he was sure as hell going to be sore the next day.

Kryztyne just started laughing. The man just pushed her off him and brushed the few pieces of splintered wood off his clothing, which made Kryztyne laugh harder. Looking at the man's back as he stood I suddenly wished I was much taller. The man was easily six foot tall. And my five feet four inches made me look like a midget. His height was accentuated by his long black hair and long black coat. He turned to look at me and I dropped the mangled bat. He was absolutely gorgeous! His skin was pale above the white shirt and black coat, but his eyes were what caught my attention. They were blood red and extremely intense. They were like looking into the haunted eyes of a Vietnam vet. They also marked him as a vampire. I was chilled to the bone and my breath came in short gasps. As he looked me up and down, he smiled, showing canines longer and sharper than Sigi could have ever dreamed of.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness." He said as he bowed and kissed the back of my hand. I blushed as he smiled at me again, making him laugh.

"Oh, stop it Drake!" Kryztyne's voice made him turn away from me.

"You're lucky I knew it was you, little witch. If I had defended myself I could have easily killed you." His voice never changed. When he had finished he pulled his lips back in a feral snarl that made him look extremely dangerous. He must have sensed my fear, because he stepped away from Kryztyne. "It appears that I scared our princess. We will have to finish this discussion later." He winked at me and I blushed again.

"Selene, this is Drake. He is a vampire as you probably can tell. Don't worry about him taking your blood he says that its to rich for him. Anyway, he is one of the strongest vampires in our world." Kryztyne smirked. "Or at least he was until Sauna created her hybrids. She beat him quite badly, and he had to rely on us for help." Drake's face went dark with fury. Apparently, these 'hybrid' things were something that he did not care to remember or think about. Had Kryztyne gone crazy or did she just have a death wish? Why would she taunt someone who could rip her apart in mere seconds?

"Listen here you mediocre necromancer. Don't ever insult my strength. I could tear out your throat in the blink of an eye. Don't believe I am your tame pet. I only choose not to kill you because it benefits me if that girl makes it to the throne. And for some ungodly reason she likes you, so I have to leave you alive." His voice stayed calm and even but his eyes burned in his pale face. I was speechless. No one spoke to Kryztyne like that and lived to see another day.

"Yeah, whatever." For the first time ever, I saw Kryztyne blush. She got her feelings hurt when Drake called her mediocre. "Selene, go get your things so we can get back to the others. …Sometime today would be nice!" I ran up the stairs in record time. The days of stair accidents were gone. I could walk tall in the woods and not look down at my feet once. When I reached my room, I tried to concentrate on what clothing I needed to take to keep warm in the woods. I started grabbing sweat pants, sweatshirts, jeans, sweaters, and anything that could keep someone warm.

As I grabbed my favorite blanket, I recognized Kryztyne's voice. I stopped moving so I could hear more. "Don't think I've forgotten that mediocre comment." Even though her voice was muffled by the floor, I could still catch the heavy layer of venom in it. A slight chuckle came through the floor. "And what is so damned funny?" I pictured Kryztyne clenching her fists and stomping her foot. I had seen her do this so many times, mostly because I had said something to make her pout.

"Our little princess is listening to make sure we aren't fighting too much. She thinks you are a complete idiot for picking a fight with someone much stronger than you." With this, he let out a laugh that would have turned my legs into jell-o, if I had not heard Kryztyne running up the stairs yelling my name. I grabbed my bag off the floor and started stuffing the blanket into it. I attempted to zip the bag as soon as Kryztyne entered the room with Drake right behind her. Thank god I had cleaned it the last time I was home, which was around three weeks ago.

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" I was careful not to turn around, my blush would give it away. I could see Kryztyne's face in the mirror above my dresser, and boy she did not look happy.

"Why would I do that?" I made my voice as innocent and questioning as possible. Deny, deny, deny. That was my strategy.

Kryztyne wasn't buying it. "Are you finally packed?" I just nodded. "Well get down to the car." And with that, she stomped away leaving Drake and I alone. I eyed the bag and sighed. When I started to unpack it, Drake grabbed my hand. He looked rather confused.

"What are you doing? Didn't you just say you finished packing?" I nodded

"I did. But this bag is really heavy, I'm a major klutz, and there are stairs involved." His eyes sparkled with laughter as he pushed my hand away from the zipper and grabbed the handle.

"What kind of princess handles her own luggage?" he smirked. That was a low blow. I was not prissy, and he did not know me.

"What kind of vampire doesn't drink blood?" I smirked back.

"Who says I don't?" he was suddenly very close to me, his body against mine. His cool breath rustling the hair on either side of my face. His free hand reached up to stroke my neck where the jugular was. Luckily, Kryztyne was very impatient, and started blowing the car horn, breaking my trance. I pushed myself away from the ruby red eyes and silky touch. He laughed loudly and grabbed my hand. When I tried to pull away, he tightened his grip. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just saving time." He pulled me close and the room blurred and faded. The walls melted away, and then we were outside Kryztyne's Camaro. And I was a little queasy.

"I think I need to sit down." I tried getting into Kryztyne's car but stumbled. Kryztyne steadied me as I rested my head against the cool metal of her car. I had to close my eyes because the world was spinning.

"What did you do to her? She can't even stand up!" Kryztyne's voice was like steel as she fretted over me. Drake just laughed.

"I showed her how a vampire travels." Disapproval radiated off Kryztyne like a dark cloud.

"I'm okay now, I think." I opened my eyes and stood up swaying just a little. It actually had been really cool. It felt like you just rode the world's best roller coaster three times in a row. "I think I just wasn't prepared." Drake gave a triumphant smile to Kryztyne, who stuck out her tongue at him.

After my luggage was in the trunk, I insisted on sitting in the back seat. Granted, there was less room, but I didn't trust Drake enough to turn my back on him just yet. In the front seat, Kryztyne continued to throw insults at him the entire time. She used words like 'leech', 'nymphomaniac', and, my personal favorite, 'necrophiliac'. When she said that last one, I busted out laughing and Drake turned to look at me and winked. He then turned slowly to Kryztyne and said "Call me what you will, you're just mad because you're mediocre while I'm the best at what I do." I thought Kryztyne was going to break her steering wheel. Her knuckles were white and she was grinding her teeth. I would have laughed if I wasn't sure she would kill me for it later. After five minutes of silence, Drake appeared in the middle of the backseat. My jaw dropped. He saw my expression and whispered "Vampire trick." I nodded, and then a thought occurred to me.

"If you're a vampire, then how come you're out during the day? Doesn't it hurt you?" his smile disappeared and was replaced with a frown.

"Stupid humans always get vampire lore wrong." He rolled his eyes, "Vampires can come out during the day, in moderation if it's a young vampire. To much sun can kill a young vamp but it would have to be a lot, say sun up to sun down. To the oldest of us the sun affects them about the same as humans."

"oh." I looked at his face; he didn't seem much older than me. "And…um…how old are you?" he looked at me out of the corner of his eye, a smile on his lips.

"When I was changed I was nineteen." He was playing a game.

"And how long have you been nineteen?" I smirked. He turned in the seat so that he could look straight at me. "One thousand, one hundred, and thirty one years." He must have found my expression amusing, because he started laughing.

"I don't believe you." I said with narrowed eyes. He just about choked. He looked at me stunned. I knew he was messing with me.

"And why don't you believe that?" he asked, true curiosity in his voice.

"Because you strike me as the kind of person who would enjoy the attention of being over a thousand years old. I also think you enjoy pulling the wool over people's eyes. If you don't want to tell me how old you are then don't, I don't care." And with that, I refused to look at him and looked out the window. After a few silent moments, Kryztyne started laughing. She watched me in the rearview mirror.

"You have no problem with the fact that he is a vampire, right?"

"Right." Why would that be a problem? Break out the silver necklace and I was safe.

"But you do have a problem with him being over one thousand years old?"

"Yes." I said with a curt nod.

"Selene?"

"Yes?"

"You're an idiot."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Mind over Matter**

"Drake! You're here! Finally!" Emily was ecstatic and danced around the vampire like a puppy. He scooped her up, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and a quick hug. She clung to him, reluctant to let go. She had just gotten back from her week of spying in her world and had run right up to Drake.

"Nice to see you as well, little one." He chuckled as he pried her fingers lose from his jacket. When he set her on her feet, she pouted.

"What took you so long?" she was going into full pout mode. I could recognize the signs. Apparently, Drake did too because he laughed nervously and put his hands up in mock surrender. A sulking Emily was, at best, a distraction and, at worst, meant death to anyone who upset her.

"I got here as soon as I could little one. I've already been here for six days." He ruffled her hair and she beamed at him. I just stared at the display in front of me.

"Drake basically raised Emily and her twin sister, Lana, after Sauna killed their parents." Ryan explained. I don't think I would ever get used to the difference in time between the two worlds.

"Oh." was all I could say. I watched him chatter with Emily and Angel. Maybe he was older than I thought.

"Drake about time. We need someone to teach Selene to guard her mind. It's almost too easy to know what she's going to do." Ashley sighed; closing the book she had been reading and removing her reading glasses. When she walked in all the laughter stopped and the atmosphere became much more serious. "Kryztyne has been taking advantage of that when their sparring." Ashley's eyes slide from Drake's face to Kryztyne's. Kryztyne just examined her nail.

"What?! It's not my fault she's so easy to read. Besides, our enemies aren't going to ask permission to enter her mind!" She snapped when she saw everyone staring at her.

"Cheater! No wonder I could never beat you! I even thought it was funny I could never land a blow...Jerk!" I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at her. She just stuck out her tongue at me.

"You really should have given her a fair fight. How would you have felt if one of us did that to you?" Angel scolded.

"I don't even want to think of how mad she would be!" when Emily saw Kryztyne's glare, her face paled and she smiled weakly and then she hid behind Drake's jacket, causing him to chuckle. Everyone just nodded. They completely understood Emily's reaction.

"Fine!" she spat. Kryztyne hated to be corrected, and she was really agitated. Not even Angel could combat an angry Kryztyne's emotions.

"In any case, Selene needs to protect her thoughts, and we have the two best people for that lesson sitting in this room." Ashley smiled

"Oh hell no!" Kryztyne jumped to her feet.

"Kryztyne you and Drake will teach her how to protect her mind. Together. Now Emily, what is Sauna…"

"I'm not working with that filthy bloodsucker! He's obnoxious, aggravating, stuck up, and just plain gross." Kryztyne interrupted. I swear I could see the pits of hell in her eyes and I inched my way to Emily's hiding spot behind Drake.

"Yeah, great idea. Hide behind the person she hates. You're both geniuses." Drake mumbled over his shoulder. Emily smiled while I just shrugged.

"And you're perfect?" Angel asked cocking her head to the side. The way Kryztyne looked at her reminded me of the phrase 'If looks could kill.' It must have reminded Angel of the same thing because her face paled and her breathing just about stopped.

"I don't drink blood. I'm not the walking dead. I'm not over a _thousand _years old!" Kryztyne was absolutely livid. I was actually starting to be more afraid of her than of the vampire. Come to think of it, Sigi's eyes never left drake either. She was on Kryztyne's side when it came to vampires.

"Regardless of how you feel, you will work with Drake, you will teach Selene to guard her mind, and you will not 'accidentally' kill him in any way. Is that understood?" Ashley's voice was ice.

"I can work with someone else if it would make Kryztyne more comfortable. I wouldn't want her to hate me any more, if that's even possible." Drake fidgeted. Emily came from behind Drake and glared at Kryztyne. The vampire was definitely less scary than any other person in the room, not counting Angel.

"Kyztyne can get over it. You're obviously not bad, I mean look at me! If it wasn't for you I would have died long ago." Emily was livid and all forms of liquid in the room started to boil in their containers. She cared for the vampire like a father and felt like she had to defend him. It reminded me of my father. He was in the other world spying on Sauna, and I missed him. I was starting to get nervous. It looked like it might turn into a full-blown fistfight. As it was, Angel was keeping Emily and Kryztyne from gouging each other's eyes out, while trying to calm down Sigi who had taken Kryztyne's side and Ryan who had taken Emily's.

"Selene you might want to distract them some way. Please? I can't hold them back much longer!" Angel's arms were starting to give and inch by inch, the two girls gained ground.

"That is enough!" Ashley's voice was a thunderclap in the big room. "I can't believe friends like you are bickering. You should all be ashamed." She glared at everyone in turn, excluding Angel, Drake and I. I ran from behind Drake and stood next to Ashley.

"Ok! Now that that's all settled!" I smiled my biggest, fakest smile and clapped my hands to get their attention. Nobody had moved from their fighting stances. "So are we going to do this before dark or what?" I was eager to end the argument. Before anyone could say anything, I was standing in my armor. It was getting easier to change now; I could even keep my clothes on while I did it. "Do we need to go outside or should we practice inside?" I looked from Kryztyne's blank, emotionless face to Drake's thankful one.

"I believe it might be more beneficial for us if you would practice outside." Ashley nodded, clearly approving of my 'distract and conquer' technique.

"Because if you try to hard you could blow the house sky high." Drake added. I met his gaze trying to decide if he was serious or not. But he just smiled and gave me a little push towards the backdoor with Kryztyne in tow. I tried to make small talk as we walked.

"So you are really over a thousand years old?" I tried my damndest to sound uninterested, but he must have caught the sideways glance I threw at him. His laugh made me scowl, "Jerk". I stomped out the door not bothering to hold it politely for him and grinning in cold satisfaction when the door slammed right in his face. Not that it affected him. He just walked right through it, but it sure as hell made me feel better. He was so damn aggravating!

"Wait! Wait!" He quickened his pace to catch up to me. "I'm really over a thousand years old. I just find your reactions humorous. Most people are scared of vampires, but you don't even seem squeamish." He looked at me as if he was trying to find something in my eyes. Suddenly his intense expression shifted to a broad smile and he gave a shrug. "You are really strange, you know that?"

"No I'm not!" He just laughed again.

"Alright!" Kryztyne's tone signaled that it was time to pay attention to her. "Selene, guarding your mind is relatively simple. In theory. All you have to do is think of a strong memory and keep it at the front of your mind" Her eyes twinkled with what looked like dark amusement while her face held a blank expression. "Any memory will work, just don't let it falter. Once it does your as good as dead. I am not going to hold back. Right now I'm your enemy." I nodded and searched my brain for a strong memory, but before my mind closed on one, a sharp pain struck in my head. My head swam and I fell to the ground. Kryztyne smiled darkly. "I said it was easy in theory. Get up and try again!" Drake was by my side steadying me as I tried to clear my head of the pain.

"Kryztyne! Take it easy! She's never done something like this before." His voice held shock and a tinge of anger. Kryztyne turned her dark eyes toward him.

"Who's the teacher here! Huh? You never gave me a break!"

"That is because you wouldn't push yourself. Someone had to give you incentive to learn." Drake's voice was barely a whisper and full of regret.

Her face swung to look at me. "Get up! I'm not going to die because you're weak!" her dark smile was plastered on her face. I had never seen this side of her before. I took a deep breath and scrambled for a memory. This attack came quicker than before, but I realized it had less intensity than the first. I recovered quickly and noticed her face had changed. Barely. The twinkling darkness of her eyes was replaced by the dull sheen of guilt. And the dark expression she wore before faded to a blank stare. "You'll have to be quicker, Selene." I tried to recreate the birthday cake Marie had made for me, and managed to hold off the pain for a few seconds. "Not strong enough."

"Kryztyne let me try something." Drake put a hand on her shoulder, which she quickly brushed off.

"Fine. I'm going to rest" She eyed him warily as he approached me.

"Sometimes it's easier to picture a loved ones face. Try to remember every detail. Down to the worry lines here," he placed a finger between my brows, "the laugh lines here," he traced the little wrinkles around my eyes that would one day be horrific crows feet, "and the arch of their lips." he lightly outlined my lips. The blush must have made me look like a tomato. Kryztyne coughed to remind us she was still there. Drake laughed and backed away. "Ready? Remember every detail." I nodded not trusting my voice. His attacks were not pain filled, just very embarrassing. He flicked from thought to thought in my mind, lingering on the baby pictures I made dad hide in the deepest darkest part of the house. Chuckling he released my brain from his probing eyes. I just covered my face. "That picture of you in the bath is so cute." He laughed aloud, and I was close to tears from embarrassment. Next, I thought of Kryztyne, and he was through in under a minute.

Over an hour later Drake had fully trampled on all of my thoughts except one little 'file' all about him. And this was one set of thoughts I'd rather be kept secret. No need for him to know that in the brief time we knew each other I had already fallen for him, but I was all out of people except one. "Maybe we should stop for tonight." Kryztyne suggested, mistaking the blush on my face for strain. But I was determined to get this right.

"No. One more I can do this. I know I can." The confidence in my voice would have been more convincing if I actually felt it. Kryztyne frowned and nodded. Drake smiled encouragingly, making my nervous stomach do little flips like a mini-poodle jacked up on monster. I took a deep breath and pictured the face in my mind. The way his dark hair fell forward into his face, his pale skin that was flawless, his mouth that always had a smile, and the ruby eyes that held laughter and kindness. A full minute passed and I didn't feel the foreign presence inside my mind. Our eyes locked and I noticed that he was slowly becoming aggravated by the fact that my thoughts were blocked from him. I laughed triumphantly, being careful to keep the picture up.

"Well I'll be damned." His face was full of shock.

"What is it? Did I do something wrong?" I glanced at Kryztyne whose jaw had hit the ground.

"You haven't had any training in this before right?" Drake asked carefully.

"I didn't even know I had powers before, much less how to use them. Did I do something I wasn't supposed to?" I nervously wrung my hands had stared at the ground.

"No. You didn't do anything wrong." Drake chuckled. "But, if that's true about your training, then you have a very strong mental power." He shook his head.

"What does that mean?" I looked up confused. I had no idea what he meant.

"He means that no one has ever been able to completely block their mind in so little time. It usually takes weeks of training." Kryztyne was her composed self again. "How did you do it?" I smiled at Drake who looked even more confused than I did.

"Mind over matter!" Laughing I ran inside to the restroom to take the most well deserved shower I ever had.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Sword Play**

"Ow! Hey! Selene!...Ow!...I give. I give!" Emily was covering her head with her arms as we sparred.

"Oh come on! We just started!" I smiled as I brought the training sword down knocking Emily's out of her hand, and then placed the point at her throat.

"I think its time to use real weapons. What do you think Emily?" Kryztyne smirked.

"I think it's your turn to train her while Sigi heals these bruises." She winced as she held out her arms, which were covered in big black and blue splotches. I was getting better and even beat Kryztyne sometimes. All three of us jumped as Ryan spoke. I had not noticed her.

"Maybe someone who wouldn't be bothered by minor cuts should train her with real weapons." She was sitting on the large boulder and eyeing me and the damage to Emily's arms.

"She's all yours!" Kryztyne laughed, and followed Emily inside.

"Okay, Sigi taught you how to access your armor and why each person's armor is different. Am I right?" I nodded. "Well did she show you how to access a weapon?" I shook my head. "Okay, I'm going to show you how to do that."

"I don't have to take my clothes off do I?" Ryan laughed and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright Mrs. Pierce, show me how." Ryan stood very straight and held out her hands and, in the same blinding light that changed her into her armor, two katanas appeared. "That is so freaking cool!" I skipped around barely containing my excitement. Ryan laughed again.

"Try it! I actually want to see what you get." She said with a wink. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my center. Maybe I would get a big sword. Or maybe a whip. Maybe a bow and arrow! A small weight settled in my palm and my eyes flew open in excitement, only to be disappointed. In my palm sat a small piece of metal.

"Did you try? Really?" Ryan looked very confused. Apparently, I wasn't the only one expecting more.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this? Throw it at them?" To tell the truth I was really wanting something cool.

"Uh…Just try again. This time try harder. Focus…or…something." I shut my eyes so tight, I was sure they were going to rip. I heard everyone gather near the training area to see the weapon of their princess. This time a slightly larger weight settled in my hand. I opened my eyes to see a small penknife. "What are you doing Selene? Focus!"

"I'm trying!" I snapped and shut my eyes again, blocking out all the noise around me. Then the bright gold showed deep within me and I knew that I had successfully summoned my weapon. A long two-handed handle fit my hands perfectly. I opened my eyes and saw that my weapon was a hailberd colored like my armor. I smiled at Ryan as the last few rays of light completed the tip. I beamed at my accomplishment.

Not paying attention was a bad idea. Because when the light faded, I fell forward. The sword was so heavy that it was impossible to lift it off the ground. I tried to lift it but only succeeded in flipping it over. With a glare set on my face, I tried over and over to use the blade, but always accomplished the same results. Eventually, I ended up trapped under the metal blade, struggling to stand up. Even Ashley couldn't help but laugh at the pitiful display. After a good ten minutes of trying to free myself, I gave up. Lying under the sword, I scowled at the sky.

"Ryan, come here so I can kill you." I was embarrassed. I couldn't even lift my sword; much less swing it at someone. What good was I if I just got trapped under my own sword?

"You should all stop laughing. Especially you Emily." I noticed her cheeks burn bright red at the sound of Drake's voice. Luckily, mine could not get any redder. "When you got your Scythe, you just about cut off your legs. And Charlie." Charlie stopped giggling and stared at the ground. "You just about put your eye out with that War hammer of yours." Drake stood easily and strolled over to where I laid on the ground. The two dejected girls went inside. When he reached my side, he reached down and with one hand, freed me from my prison.

"Thanks." My face was beet red from lack of oxygen, blood flow and embarrassment. He handed my sword back to me.

"Sorry Selene. We're just so used to people being stronger. Come on, you know if I was stuck under there, you would totally laugh at me. Picture it…" I did and found myself laughing uncontrollably. "You laughed! We're off the hook! Let's go get dinner I'm starving."

"You just ate like an hour ago. How can you possibly be hungry?" It seemed like my friends were always eating, but they never gained any weight.

"I have a high metabolism, and one hour your time is like forever our time." Ryan said with a shrug. "Besides, if you are going to lift that oversized toothpick, you're going to need all the strength you can get." I really didn't mind eating all the time. Emily was the cook, and she was great at it. The meals she turned out had long complicated names that sounded French and tasted like heaven. I hoped I had a high metabolism too; otherwise, I was going to get fat. I sighed as I smelled a cream sauce in the making. Really fat.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Late Night Decision**

"Sigi? Are you awake?" I whispered as I stood in her doorway.

"Who…Wha…What do you need?" Sigi murmured rubbing the sleep from her eyes and running a hand through her tangled hair that fell to her waist.

"You're sleeping, just forget I came by."

"Selene, I'm awake. What do you want?" She sounded slightly irritated. I hurried over and sat on the foot of her bed.

"I was just wondering…What does home look like?" She looked at me, all the hints of sleep gone from her face, and sighed.

"It was the most beautiful place. The moon was white as ivory and looked close enough to touch. It was as bright as the sun." She smiled and closed her eyes. "The trees whispered to each other. Everything was so alive. So healthy and youthful. The summers were long and warm and the winters were brisk and refreshing. It always snowed. The air was always clean and unpolluted…" Sigi's voice trailed off, her smile faded, and her perfect features became a mask of sadness. She opened her eyes and stared deep into mine. "But that's all changed. Sauna has destroyed all that is natural and beautiful. That is why we need you. You are the only one who can stop her. The moon is not white any more, it is blood red and it barely shines. The trees have stopped talking to each other and are menacing. There is barely any difference in day and night. In winter, the snow is mixed with ash, turning everything a sickly grey. The air is thick and chocking. Our home has turned into a horrible place. Selene, only you can stop Sauna." She reached out and covered my hand with hers.

"Yeah no pressure or anything." I grumbled. Sigi laughed.

"I'm sorry. I guess that was really intense." She shook her head and stretched. "You should get back to bed. Ashley plans on getting an early start tomorrow. She won't take it easy on you because of your lack of sleep." I giggled and nodded, and walked to the door.

"Sigi?" She halted in mid stretch, turning her gold eyes to me. "I'm not sure that I'm the hero you need me to be. Are you sure you guys aren't wrong about me?" I kept me eyes on the floor as I waited for her response. When she was silent for a long time, I looked up into her smiling face.

"The fact that you hesitate to take up the title of 'Hero' means that you are the person we need. You are humble, kind, and gentle. You just need a little confidence." She smiled again and the moonlight glinted off her teeth. "Now go to sleep before I bite you."

"Goodnight Sigi." I mumbled.

"Goodnight Selene." I closed her door after me, but could not make myself sleepy. I paced the long hallway of rooms for a while. Eventually I settled by the large picture window over looking the forest. I let all the tears flow silently out of me as I watched the darkness. A suave voice made me start.

"Any particular reason you've been up all night?" Turning I, met Drake's playful gaze, but it quickly faded into a concerned frown. "Are you alright?" He looked awkward as he placed his hand on my shoulder in a desperate attempt to cheer me. I opened my mouth but nothing came out, so I just shook my head. Drake sat down on the window bench and pulled me close to him. "What's the matter?" I finally found my voice.

"I want to believe that all of this is real. That you, Sigi, my sister, everybody, exists. That I can help, but I don't think I'm strong enough. I've just always been to slow, too weak, too clumsy, and I'm too soft. Ever see me try to play Volleyball?" Drake shook his head. "I sent a girl to the ER with a concussion. And she was not even anywhere near the court." Drake's face remained very serious but his eyes held laughter. "I'm not a warrior. I'm not a leader. The only thing I'm good at is getting into trouble." I felt tears threaten to fall again, but before they could, Drake stood and swept me up into his arms.

"The only thing to cure the late night blues is a late night snack." He chuckled.

"Put me down this instant!" I quickly clamped a hand over my throat, causing Drake to laugh out loud, and before I could protest again, I was downstairs in the kitchen. He gingerly placed me in one of the chairs to the bar, then turned to the freezer and started burrowing up to his shoulders.

"What are you doing exactly?" I asked, a hint of aggravation creeping into my voice. He quickly emerged with a tub of ice cream. Frost clung to his face and hair causing me to laugh hysterically.

"I'm raiding Emily's ice cream supply." He passed me the tub of fudge swirl and then handed me a spoon. "Emily taught me that ice cream has curative properties for teenage girls. Especially some with chocolate and that is very, very fattening. She always keeps a tub or two in there." He pointed towards the freezer as he leaned on the other side of the bar. He smiled as I took a bite and shivered.

"She taught you pretty well." I smiled and we were silent for a long time. However, it wasn't an awkward silence, more like a 'content to be in each other's company' silence. All my worries faded away and I was just happy. Truly happy for the first time in a very long time. I had friends that loved me and were with me one hundred percent and no matter what they would stay by my side. And, it helped that I was sitting a mere two foot away from an extremely attractive man at one in the morning, in nothing more than my dangerously short and dangerously low cut leopard print nightgown. "So how did you meet Emily?" I kept eating the ice cream. He gave a sad smile that caused his face to soften, allowing me to see more of the boy he used to be.

"Well, it's kind of a long, dark story. Sure you want to here it?" I nodded and slid off the stool and trotted over to the freezer, easily sliding the frozen treat back into its spot, feeling Drake's eyes on me the whole time. "Well, I was in one of the main cities for a vampire conference. Sauna was just starting to come into power and had come to ask us for support. We were debating on whether or not to back her. I had gotten tired of the bickering and snuck out to explore a little. I didn't get a chance to spend a lot of time in the cities.

"I was walking down the main street, when a cough caught my attention. It was late autumn because the snow was just starting to fall. Turning I saw Lana, Emily's sister, crawling into a small wooden crate. Being curious, I went to investigate." I gave a little giggle as I pictured Drake in a Sherlock Holmes get-up. "What?" he lifted one eyebrow and gave a half smile.

"Nothing. Please continue with the story."

"I found Lana huddled next to Emily trying to keep warm. You see Emily was very sick. I t was her I heard cough. She was so pale and small. They were only six, much too young to be out on their own. I really didn't care about humans back then. I mean, I didn't hate them, but I didn't love them either. Something about their faces got to me though. I remember their eyes. They were so sad and you could tell they had almost given up hope. I sat in front of the crate just watching them. Emily opened her eyes after a while and smiled at me. 'You're late, but that's okay. I forgive you.' She said crawling out of the crate and throwing her little arms around my neck. She was really impulsive, even back then. I thought that she was delirious due to the sickness and maybe she had just confused me for someone else. Lana hung back not quite trusting me, she was always shy. 'Are you by any chance the vampire named Drake?' she asked quietly. When I told her I was, she looked very relieved, and started to apologize for Emily. This caused Emily to stubbornly refuse to be apologized for. Going on about visions, me, and a home. I couldn't just leave them there. One of my less civilized 'colleagues' might decide they would make a great little snack. I offered to give them a place to sleep for the night and Lana practically jumped into my arms. Emily preferred to turn into a small kitten and crawl up on my shoulders. It scared the hell out of me at first because in my experience, little girls don't randomly turn into cats. But soon she was mewling and purring in my ear so I figured I better get them inside somewhere." I laughed as I pictured Drake with a tiny little girl in his arms and a tiny little kitten hiding in his long black hair, mewling at everybody who walked past.

"I was only going to give them a place to sleep, but they started telling me how they ended up on the street. Turns out Sauna had wanted Emily to join her and Emily and Emily's parents said no. So Sauna had them killed." I gasped placing my hand over my mouth.

"She never told me that her parents were dead! She said she lived with her dad but that he was out of town and…oh. I get it now. You're her dad in her mind right? And you _were_ out of town…" Drake nodded as I finished my little moment of realization. "Sorry finish your story."

"I got attached to them. Now I can't seem to get rid of them." Drake shrugged. I couldn't believe it. No human would just randomly take in little orphans like that. The fact that a vampire, something labeled a monster everywhere, would just didn't make sense. Powerful people just don't do that.

"Why did you do it? I mean you said it yourself: you thought they were insane. So why take them in?" Drake thought my question over, then smiled at me.

"Well it was a spur of the moment decision. One I'm glad I made. Emily would have just followed me home anyway you know how she is." He rolled his eyes as I laughed.

"Oh I know! My first day of school, She followed me to every one of my classes until I finally told her she was creeping me out. Then she demanded to walk me home and threatened to follow me if I didn't let her. I thought she was freaking nuts, but she was kind to me and we've been friends ever since." I giggled as I remembered trying to blend in to the crowds of kids, attempting to hide from her and her always spotting me.

"Well if it wasn't for Emily I would have died along with all the other elder vampires. The elders and I had decided that we wouldn't be able to back Sauna so she decided to replace us with vampires who wanted her to succeed. Emily refused to let me go to the conference. Going so far as to 'accidentally' break her arm in a fall."

"Oh." I mumbled. Thinking about how much he meant to Emily made me miss my dad. Suddenly the clock on the shelf struck two. This caused me to give a small shriek and jump, which, in turn, made me fall off my chair. Thankfully, Drake caught me easily and I avoided immenint brain damage. I blushed deeply as I looked into his scarlet eyes. They seemed to be burning into my soul. "Um…I think I should go to sleep now. Ashley will be angry if I'm not as energetic as usual." He set me on my feet. Then turned to look out the window above the sink. His hand was resting on the counter and I covered it with mine. He whipped his face around to stare at me. He looked puzzled. "Thank you. You were right. A late night snack can cure the late night blues." He smiled kindly and I couldn't resist the urge to lean over and kiss his cheek. I think his jaw just about fell off his face. I gave a small laugh then turned towards the arched doorway. "Goodnight Drake." I smiled over my shoulder. At the base of the stairs I barely heard 'Good morning Selene' be whispered to the dark.

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I opened my eyes to see the soft light filtering into my room. I threw my bedding aside and jumped out of bed. Usually I would lie around until one of the girls came to get me and pulled me out of bed, but today I was a girl on a mission. As soon as I was dressed, I rushed downstairs, surprising everybody. Emily and Ryan stopped in mid bite of pancakes, syrup dripping onto their plates. Kryztyne froze in the middle of pouring more coffee into Angel's cup. Neither one moved until Angel howled in pain as the hot liquid scalded her skin. Sigi, Charlie and Drake froze in their fight for the last V8.

"Oh My God! It's a sign of the freakin' apocalypse! We're screwed!" Emily crowed, causing a slight giggle.

"Why are you up so early?" Charlie swiped the can of tomato juice from a slack-jawed Sigi and quickly took a large swig before the other girl could protest.

"Hey!" Sigi pouted causing Charlie to stick out her tongue.

"Kiss my grits!" And with that, Charlie smacked her rear.

"Where is Ashley?" I must have looked very intense because no one argued with me.

"Mumph mum numh mu mumh. Mummmphn mu?" Ryan mouthed around a huge piece of pancake.

"What?" I looked around for a translation. Ryan nudged Emily and pointed at me.

"Oh for the love of…Ryan how many times do I have to tell you? Swallow, and then talk." Emily ranted.

"Mumph mu!" Ryan retorted

"Translation please." I rolled my eyes a little.

"Wha? Oh yeah sorry. She said 'Out by the creek. Sumthin' wrong?'" Emily smiled smugly.

"Wow. That's scary." Sigi shuddered.

"What? I speak fluent 'RyanEating', 'KryztyneMad', and 'BlondeAngel'."

"Alright genius what were the last words she said. You neglected to translate." Kryztyne snapped.

"If I told you, you would wash our mouths out with soap. Let's just say, it rhymes with duck poo." She turned back to her pancakes. I shook my head and went to find the only person that could help me. I went out the door and headed toward the creek, letting the guard around my thoughts fall away and I sent my consciousness out looking for the alien feel of Ashley's mind against mine. A slight touch drew me to the small pool of water formed by the creek. I stopped a good ten feet from Ashley and watched as she stretched and twisted into the different positions of Viper style Kung Fu.

"What's going on Selene?" she never looked at me and stayed in the ready position, watching the water trickle by. I took a deep breath.

"I want to go home." I said stubbornly. Ashley nodded.

"I'll get Kryztyne to drive you." Ashley switched from Viper to Crane so quickly, the move was a blur before my eyes.

"I don't think you understand. I want to go to my real home. Where I was born." I said crossing my arms over my chest. Ashley relaxed and turned to look at me, smiling. "I'm ready. I know I am. I want to take Sauna out." I was pleading with her.

"Darlin, you can't even lift your sword. You would be an easy target for spies and assassins. You're safer here. Sauna has no idea where you are. There are no monsters out to kill you. Why not stay here." Ashley Smiled kindly at me, hoping that I would just drop the subject and go on about my business, but I was determined to get my way. "You aren't going to drop this are you?" Ashley frowned.

"No and I can to lift my sword!" I pouted. Ashley just sighed.

"Alright. Alright! If you can lift _and _use your sword successfully, we will head home today. But if you can't we stay here till I say your ready." Ashley gave a mischievous smile. "Deal?" I grimaced. Crap, she called my bluff. There was no way in hell I could lift my sword. Crap, crap, crap! What am I going to do? I had to at least try. Taking a deep breath, I tried to convince myself I could do this. I thought of all of the people who were counting on me and knew I had the strength I needed. I felt power tingle down my arms and I knew this time Drake would not need to save me from my own weapon. The gold light from before flew from my hands and completed my sword in the blink of an eye. This time it seemed to float of its own accord and I couldn't help but smile. I easily rested the sword on my shoulder and beamed at Ashley, whose jaw was resting on the ground. Giving the sword a good swing, I sheared straight through the trunk of a large oak and watched as the tree tumbled to the ground.

"So, how should I pack?" I smirked. Finally, I was going home.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Romeo and Juliet**

"Sigi, go help Kryztyne open the portal." Ashley stormed through the back door, barking orders. When everyone just sat staring at her in disbelief she raised her voice. "I said open the portal. Today!" All of the people scattered trying to grab necessary items and summoning their armor. Everyone was focused on his or her job, although Sigi did find time to growl at Drake. I'd ask about werewolves and vampires later. While everyone was busy with their jobs I felt useless. I just sat twirling my thumbs. I had no idea how to open this portal thing and even if I did, I doubt I would have been much help. I watched Kryztyne and Sigi trace strange figures in the air. Soon a shimmering silver disc materialized in front of their fingertips. I gasped and Ashley smiled.

"Pretty huh? Don't let it fool you though inter-diminsional travel is very dangerous." She shrugged. "That's why I always have Sigi and Kryztyne open the portal. Their better at it than anyone else. Now then," She turned to address the rest of the girls and Drake. "I will go through the portal first then head to the resistance camp. Drake you go next. Selene will be coming through right after you so make sure its safe."

"Got it." Drake beamed just barely showing the tips of his fangs. I shivered a little, because he acted so human sometimes I would forget what he really was.

"Selene," I jumped and glanced at Ashley nervously. "You will follow Drake closely, understand? Think vampires are scary? Find out you didn't stick to him like glue and see how pissed I am. I'll give you a reason to be scared. Got it?" I couldn't nod hard enough. Drake laughed as I nervously glanced around and I glared back at him sticking out my tongue like a spoiled five year old. "The rest of you come through in pairs. I don't want the portal open for too long. Something could get through. Any questions?" everyone shook their head. "Good lets go." Ashley stepped up to the glowing silver disc, paused, and then pushed her foot through the shimmering silver. Drake went next giving me an encouraging smile before stepping through confidently. I stepped up next and hesitated. I was shaking like a leaf.

"It helps if you close your eyes as you go through. It'll keep you from getting sick." Kryztyne whispered with a smile.

"Thanks." I sounded more confident than I felt. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and stepped into portal. I felt the silver slide over my skin, and then I felt like I was falling. Opening my eyes, I realized I was. I shrieked as I saw how fast the ground was coming towards me and I screwed my eyes shut. And then I noticed I didn't have that falling feeling anymore. Opening my eyes I noticed I had stopped about a foot above the ground, and my hips were above my head. Something grabbed my arm and helped me to my feet. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Drake and smiled like I hadn't completely embarrassed myself.

"It'll be amazing if you make it to twenty in one piece. You are going to die a ridiculous death." He shook his head and I stuck my tongue out at him again.

"Hey get out of the landing area!" A chorus of voices drifted down to meet my ears. I looked up and saw the rest of the girls falling towards me. I just stood staring at them until Drake growled and pulled me out of their way by my arm.

"Do you seriously have a death wish?" he gave me an incredulous look.

"No. I just… I'm still getting used to the idea of magic ands spells and vampires and werewolves and bogeymen! And forgive me if I'm curious about a portal leading to another world!" I yanked away from his grip and stalked off throwing "Jackass" over my shoulder. Unlike me, my friends all landed gracefully and stood on their own volition. Kryztyne looked around nervously.

"Ashley not back yet?" Her eyes flicked over the empty meadow we stood in.

"I think she ran in there." Drake pointed to the forest on my right. I took the chance to scowl at him again and he just gave me one of his sexy smiles.

"Well then let's go. We don't need to be in the open." Kryztyne took the lead and ran towards the edge of the forest stopping at a small trail, which forked in two directions. "Which way?" She glanced at Drake over her shoulder, who pointed to the left.

We were deep in the forest when we reached a deep chasm that ran for miles in both directions. We decided to camp near the chasm for the night, since the sun was setting, and find Ashley in the morning.

Just before dark Kryztyne sent Angel and me to find water. We walked down to the creek that ran close to the edge of the chasm.

"I feel so at home here. So free." Angel practically danced and the wind she created shook the trees. I smiled at her exuberance.

"You better be careful or you'll spill all of the water and we'll have to do all of this again." I grimaced at the thought of hiking all the way down to the creek again and lugging the bucket of water all the way back to the camp. Again. Angel stopped ahead of me.

"You're still worried about Ashley aren't you?" I nodded.

"She just hasn't come back yet. What if something happened to her? You said there are elves and werewolves and all other kinds of scary monsters in the woods. What if one got her? Oh my gosh! What if a BANSHEE got her?!? She could…" I felt hysteria bubbling up in my throat, but then Angel raised a hand to get me to stop my rant.

"I'm sure she's fine, Selene. Ashley is a big girl. She can take on just about anybody. I'm sure she's just assembling rebels. They hide in these woods you know. All the werewolves and elves allow us to stay here. In fact…." I groaned as I felt another of her history lessons coming on.

"Angel, I graduated high school so I wouldn't have to listen to another history lesson for the rest of my life." I gave her an exhausted look and she flushed.

"Sorry. I just get excited about history I guess." She laughed.

"Let's just hurry up and get this water back to camp. At night this place gives me the cree…" I was cut off by a deep growl very near us. Spinning around I saw three pairs of golden eyes glinting in the under growth. "eep."

"Selene back away slowly. Of you move to quickly they'll kill us." Angel's face was tense and she kept her eyes on the ground.

"And where would you like me to back away to, hmm? The hundred foot drop behind us?" I ferociously whispered back. Angel glanced over her shoulder.

"Oh…Right. Well there goes that idea." We inched back as far as we could as the wolves pressed closer forcing us to the edge of the cliff. The large brown one in front snapped at our legs. I was the first to feel the edge falling away.

"Angel! Jump!" I leaped to the side just as the earth crumbled, but Angel was not so lucky. I turned and watched in horror as my friend fell backward towards the deadly fall behind her. "Angel! No!" I scrambled for her hand, but her hands were too slick with sweat and they slipped away. She disappeared over the edge with a cry followed by a black blur. "Angel?! Angel!" I knelt by the edge and frantically searched for her red-brown hair and her brightly colored armor, tears streaming down my face. My sorrow turned to anger as I remembered why she fell. I turned to confront our attackers, but they were gone. I looked around for a rope or something to lower myself over the edge to search for Angel. Finding nothing, I fell to my knees and cried.

"Selene." Great now I was hearing voices, and they sounded just like Angel. "Selene, I'm okay." I rushed over to the edge to look down and search for her again.

"Angel! You're really there, right? I'm not going crazy and hearing voices?"

"No, you're not going crazy." She giggled "Do me a favor and move away from the edge, we're coming up."

"'We'? Who's 'we'?" I thought back to when she fell. She must have hit her head because only one person went over and that was her. I cried out as a black blur similar to before shot up from the ravine. It leaped right over me landing behind me. Turning I saw Angel alright, but she was very happy. This was because she was in the arms of a tall dark haired man with blue eyes. He placed her on her feet and I rushed to embrace her. "Are you ok? What happened? Who's he? Are you hurt?" I honestly looked her over from head to toe, finding only a scratch on her cheek.

"I'm fine Selene." She giggled and blushed. I knew that look. I turned to face Angel while placing my back towards the man and mouthed 'He's cute', which made her blush harder. "Any way, this is Sam, leader of the werewolves. Since you and Sauna are identical twins, the group earlier thought you were an enemy, so they started their attack. After you didn't try to kill them they had second thoughts. Sam rushed here because Ashley warned him about us and he was scared the guards would attack. He was the big black wolf." She giggled again.

"Selene! Angel! Are you guys alright?" Ryan burst through the brush first with Drake and Sigi right behind her. I must have looked worse than I thought because they all fussed over us, completely ignoring Sam, who looked bored. I was a bit embarrassed. After they were satisfied that we weren't hurt, Ryan demanded we tell her what happened. After we were through retelling the story, Ryan stormed up to Sam and landed a punch that knocked the wind clean out of him. "You ass! You could have killed them! give me one good reason not to break your bones right now!" The vibes coming off her were both scary and violent, so I hid in Drake's coat.

"Honestly what is with you and Emily? I'm not a good hiding place! They can see your feet." He hissed. I smiled up at him and pressed closer to him. I stayed there watching them from the darkness. Ryan was getting ready for another punch when Sam found his voice.

"Wait!" he chocked out. Ryan paused. "I was at the camp when Ashley came in informing us of your presence in the woods. I remembered I had dispatched a patrol and that they would attack anyone who looked like her." He looked around. "Where'd she go?"

"In here." I stuck my head out of the jacket and gave a weak smile. Drake rolled his eyes while Ryan smacked her forehead.

"Selene, why are you in Drake's jacket?" Ryan rubbed her temples.

"It's safe." I murmured, blushing as Sam stared at me.

"Safe? You feel safe with a bloodsucker? Are you kidding me?" Sam looked around expecting someone to laugh and frowned when no one did. "Apparently not." I jumped as the bushes near us rustled, then relaxed as I realized who it was. Emily and Kryztyne rolled in tangled up with bits of ivy and tree limbs. Kryztyne was fine but it looked like Emily was knocked senseless. I went to her side and grabbed her hand.

"Emily? Emily, can you here me?" I looked her over, but she seemed to be fine.

"Come…Closer….so cold." She opened one eye and smiled. "Oh lord, Selene. You really are gullible." She giggled.

"You jerk! I was worried about you!" I laughed and started tickling her as she rolled to avoid my touch. Everyone else just rolled their eyes. Except for Sam, he looked royally confused.

"Sorry. Sorry! Enough!....Ok, I surrender!" she sat up laughing and finally noticed Sam. "Who's he?" I took the liberty of filling Emily and Kryztyne in on every little detail, not leaving out a thing. When I was finished, Emily, her face deathly serious, walked over to Angel. "Are you all right?" Angel nodded. Emily then turned to Sam. "I have to thank you for saving my friend's life. However, from now on you would do well to show that vampire over there some respect. Otherwise," She smiled a vicious grin. "I'll kill you. Do you understand?" Her voice dripped with threat. I had never seen her like that. Everyone took an involuntary step back and gave her plenty of room. Sam looked at all of us for help. When he saw we were not going to interfere he turned back to Emily's smiling face.

"Perfectly ma'am." He forced out through a clenched jaw.

"Good." Emily nodded, and then her smile reached her eyes and she was back to normal. "Now let's go find this camp. I want to see Lana and all those boys!" She was practically bouncing on her toes. She cried out as Kryztyne grabbed her ear and forced her to stay put.

"Take it easy there, Juliet." And Kryztyne rolled her eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Homecoming**

We just kept walking. Night was passing and I could see the first rays of light towards the west. And I still hadn't seen anything resembling a camp. I was tired, my feet hurt, and I was grumpy. And to make matters worse, Angel was so ecstatic about meeting a really hot guy, that the wind was ripping at the trees and ground. It was like being in a hurricane. "Where are we?" I tried to ask Drake but the wind tore the words from my lips. I shivered as another icy blast hit me like a brick wall knocking all the wind straight out of me. "I swear if she does that one more time, I'm going to go nuts on her." I panted trying to catch my breath. My teeth were chattering, I couldn't feel my extremities, and I was pretty sure I had frostbite on my nose. Another blast hit me and I attempted to lunge straight at the back of Angel's head. Luckily, for the little airhead, Drake grabbed me by my waistband and held me above the ground by it. "Let me go! I swore I was going to go nuts on her! And I am. So let me go!" I writhed and twisted in Drake's grip, but it did no good.

"I thought princesses were supposed to be sweet, kind, innocent, and caring. Not violent, crazy, and 'nuts'" He laughed as I renewed my struggles to get free. Giving up again I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted.

"Look. I'm nice, ok? I'm just very uncomfortable. I'm tired, hungry, freezing, and tired." I glared at him, as he looked at me confused.

"You said tired twice." He raised one eyebrow and frowned.

"That's because I'm really tired." I huffed. I shivered a little in the cold air. Drake looked up to where Angel was bounding next to Sam. Everyone was huddled together behind them. Drake and I were the only ones lagging behind.

"She really likes that guy apparently." Drake looked at me with a crooked smile. I replied with a scowl and he sighed. "You aren't happy are you?"

"Let me think about it. Um…no. Hell no." I replied sarcastically. Drake sighed and then cradled me close to his chest. I felt my blush creep across my face.

"Are you getting sick?" Drake placed his face close to mine. He was so close that I could tell that his eyes weren't just red, as I had thought when I first met him. There were flecks of black in them that glinted like black diamonds.

"No. It's just…Um…I'm tired and cold, not paralyzed." It felt awkward being carried. It was like I wasn't in control. But it also felt strangely nice

"Would you rather me put you down?" He smiled as I made a little sound of protest. Then he held me closer to him. "Besides this way you can get some sleep. I don't like the grumpy Selene. It doesn't become you." I tried to stifle a yawn. He was right. I needed the sleep. I buried my face into his shirt and sighed breathing him in and letting my hand trace the muscles in his chest. God he smelled amazing. Before I knew it, I was sleeping.

It felt like I had just shut my eyes. Drake was trying to wake me up by whispering lightly in my ear. I could still feel his chest so I knew I was still in his arms. I felt him jerk in surprise as I wrapped my arms firmly around his torso.

"I don't want to get up yet. Five more minutes please." I whined as I struggled to get closer to him. I vaguely registered someone saying something about loud noises and sounds.

"SELENE! WAKE UP!" Emily shouted in my ear. I jumped out of Drake's arms on full alert for any enemy.

"What is it? What happened? Is it Sauna? Is she here?" I was fully awake now, thanks to being scared out of my skin by Emily.

"Now see there! You scared her! You need to be a little less… well, you. Calm down a little." A girl with brilliant red hair and fluffy brown dog-ears shook her head.

"Emily! You know I can't stand to be woken up like that!" I bared my teeth at her in a feral smile, but it didn't faze her. She just stood there smiling.

"Oh stop acting all mean. You love me and couldn't hurt me even if you wanted to." Emily beamed as my snarl turned to a frown.

"Yeah, well, you're still a baka." I glared at her, but I knew she had to do it. I was a champion sleeper. My dad used to say that if sleeping were an Olympic sport, America would bring home the gold every time. Thanks to me of course.

"Baka?" The girl with the ears looked at Drake then to Emily for an explanation of the word.

"It's a Japanese word meaning Idiot or stupid." Drake stated like he was reading right out of a dictionary. "So you've been to Japan before, Selene?" He looked at me expectantly.

"Well…uh…not exactly." I fidgeted

"I don't understand. How do you know Japanese then?" Drake looked confused again. I bet I was the only girl to ever confuse this man this much.

"Um…I read a little manga and watch some anime." I gave a small smile. Emily poked her head over Drake's shoulder and gave me a disbelieving look.

"Just a little? Are you sure? Cause I distinctly remember a certain girl locking herself in her room every weekend for months until she had read the 'Hellsing' manga twice, watched every episode of the regular Hellsing anime, then watched every ova episode available, and stood in line for hours to be the first person to buy the 6th ova on DVD." I blushed

"Whatever." Drake just shook his head. "I still don't completely understand. But, we woke you because Ashley wants to see you." I looked around and noticed I was in a large tent like structure. It was huge, more pavilion than tent. It was tan in color, eight cots had been lined up along one of the sides, and in the center was a large fire pit surrounded by richly colored pillows. I let out a whistle.

"Yeah, you like our digs?" Emily swept a hand over the large area. "Pretty big by anybody's standards. Anyway, I want you to meet my twin. Officially, I mean." Emily threw her arms around the redhead's shoulders and smiled at me. "This is Lana. She's shy." Emily beamed while Lana blushed.

"It's nice to meet you." Lana mumbled as she held out her hand. I couldn't help noticing how fluffy her ears looked and, before I could stop myself, I found myself grabbing a hold of them. They were incredibly soft. Realizing what I was doing, I yanked my hands back behind me and blushed just about as much as Lana.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry! It's just…They're so cute and…fluffy. I…couldn't help it!" We stared at each other for a long time. Our eyes wide with surprise and our faces red with embarrassment. Suddenly Emily laughed.

"This is why mine stay hidden." She said giggling.

"You have dog ears?" My jaw dropped. How could I have missed such extremely cute little ears poking out of that strawberry blonde hair?

"Of course I do." She winked and a pair of furry white ears popped out of her hair, twitched a little and then disappeared. "I keep them hidden because people always want to grab them. Its cause they think they're cute."

"I would do that to, but, sadly sister, you were the only one who got Dad's shape shifting genes." Lana grumbled.

"I like them!" I piped, attempting to make Lana feel better. Drake groaned behind us.

"Look Ashley is going to kill us if we don't go check in with her. We can all discuss ears later, if that's what you girls want, but right now, we need to be focused. Now Ashley, later I don't care. Got it?" He shook his head.

"Ok, ok Mister Grumpy." I mumbled following him out of the tent and gasped. I had expected the camp to be cramped, dreary, and depressing. However, it was just the opposite. It reminded me of a renaissance fair my dad took me to when I was six. It was so cheery and fascinating, and the swirl of long skirts was mesmerizing. When I emerged, everyone grew quiet and still, and then erupted into loud cheers. A young man broke away from the crowd and approached my with his head held high. When he reached me, he grabbed my hand and fell to one knee.

"Princess Selene, would you do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?" The man clutched my hand like a drowning man would a life preserver.

"What?!?" My jaw dropped and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Drake stiffen. Emily and Lana just shook their heads like they expected something like this.

"Please be my wife!" The man painfully tightened his grip as I struggled to pull away while being as polite as possible. To my right I saw more men approaching. I was relieved; someone had come to get this idiot off me.

"You don't want to marry that louse." The biggest man stated quite gruffly. I was tempted to say 'you're damn right I don't.' but didn't get a chance because the man added "You want to marry me. I have a huge…ah…treasure." with a lecherous wink. All of the men who I thought was going to get the man off me turned out to want to propose to me. I glanced over at my friends for some help and winced at the look at the on Drake's face. His eyes glittered darkly, his fangs curved over his lips, which were stretched into a thin hard line, his jaw was tight, and his nails had grown long, hard, and sharp. More like claws than nails, now. He looked like he wanted to kill something. Or someone. Emily and Lana just stood gaping at the men of the camp. Thinking quickly I turned my face back to the group of men at my feet and smiled.

"I…Well I have to decline your…um…generous offers of marriage." I hoped that sounded something like a princess declining politely.

"But why?" One of the men shouted. The others murmured in agreement. I was really starting to be fed up with these guys. I mean how dense could they actually be? I tried to pull my hand away from the first young man, and sighed as he clutched my hand more firmly.

"Because I don't know you any of you! I am not going to marry a complete stranger. Sorry." I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. The group was quiet for a brief moment before they all rushed forward to deliver their life's stories. They pressed forward so quickly, I lost my balance and started to fall backward. Luckily, strong hands gripped me and pulled me out of the fray. I looked up into Drake's stern face and murmured a quick thanks as he set me on my feet. Drake just nodded, pushed me behind him, and turned his attention to the rushing men.

"The next one to propose or try to talk to the girl will be my dinner. And I will make sure the death is very painful and drawn out." At the end of this statement, he gave a cold smile to show the full length of his fangs. The man who had been clutching my hand tried to skirt past Drake to get to me, but before he could, Drake caught his arm. The man shrieked in pain as Drake held it very tightly and his claws sank into the soft flesh of his forearm. "This is no idle threat!" Drake growled. All the men blanched, and Drake did not release the young man.

"That's enough Drake. They're sorry. See?" I touched Drake's shoulder to turn his attention away from the man in his grip. He turned his head just so he could see me and nodded. "Now how about you let that guy go?" I was using the softest voice I had. The one you use when faced with a large predator. "Come on now. Let him go. He won't hurt me, will you?" The man shook his head violently. Drake, looking severely unhappy about not killing the man, released him and the man scuttled away. The rest of the men just stared at Drake and I.

"Ok! Get out of the way. Unless you want me to tell Ashley, the weather witch, that we were late because of you guys." Emily was smiling, but it was a cold smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. I could hear the twinge of nervousness and tension in her voice. The rest of the men scattered.

"Ok that was weird." I was still a little shaken; my knees were a little weak. But, what surprised me most was the fact that Drake wasn't the reason my adrenalin was pumping. I wasn't scared of him at all. I moved to stand be Emily in front of Drake.

"Are you hurt?" He wasn't looking at me, but rather, something behind me. Following his gaze, I saw the young man that Drake had grabbed. His arm was already a sickly purplish-black color and you could clearly see the four little puncture marks where Drakes claws had cut him.

"I'm fine. Really, no harm done. No need to be angry at them." I tried to smile at him and he gave a barely perceptible nod.

"Hey guys I think Emily's having a premonition again." Lana sounded bored with the whole idea. Emily's face looked completely blank, her eyes were all a silver color, there was no iris or pupil just silver, and only her lips were moving.

"Don't touch her or she'll lose it." Drake sounded like he was back to normal. I just nodded and placed my ear close to her mouth so I could hear.

"…the sun shall battle the moon. The day as dark as night, the sun's weakness. The undead lover lost. The silver staff his salvation. Blinding light devours all, scour earth and scald the trees…" Here Emily's voice rose in hysteria. "The moon! We must protect the moon! We must…What are you doing Selene?" I pulled back and stared at her in disbelief. "What's the matter?" She looked scared.


End file.
